Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, editor-in-chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation after nearly a decade in power, following weeks of speculation about his political future.
He added that he was suspending Parliament until March 24 to give his Liberal party time to choose a new leader.
“I intend to resign as party leader and prime minister once the party chooses a new leader,” Trudeau said.
“Parliament has been paralyzed for months,” Trudeau said Monday in Ottawa. “This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I have to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in this election.”
The popularity of Trudeau, 53, is at an all-time low after voters and members of his own party turned against him following a turbulent period of speculation about his ability to govern the G7 country.
The New Democratic Party (NDP), a key ally in Parliament, announced before Christmas that it no longer supported the minority Liberal government.
Opposition parties, including the NDP, have also said they are prepared to pass a motion of no confidence in the House of Commons, which could also trigger a snap election.
Pierre Poilievre, whose Conservative Party leads the Liberals by 25 points in the polls, has repeatedly called for Trudeau to withdraw or call a snap election, citing Canada’s looming challenges to new U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly mocked Trudeau, calling him the governor of the 51st state of the United States, fueling calls for the prime minister to resign.
Trudeau, born in Ottawa, son of the charismatic Liberal leader Pierre Trudeau, who was prime minister between 1968 and 1979, then from 1980 to 1984, worked as a drama teacher in Vancouver before being elected leader of the Liberal party in April 2013.
His term as prime minister began in October 2015 when the young newcomer led his Liberal party to a resounding victory against the Conservatives and their unpopular leader Stephen Harper.
During his term, Trudeau passed laws to decriminalize soft drugs, advance gender equality and promote reconciliation with First Nations as well as the urgent need to combat climate change. He also pledged to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees fleeing war in their home country, despite concern over immigration levels.
But Trudeau’s popularity has plummeted over the past year due to the soaring cost of living and the housing affordability crisis. His efforts to boost Canada’s post-pandemic economy through record immigration have also faced widespread backlash.
An Angus Reid survey released on December 30 showed that the percentage of voters intending to vote for the Liberal party had fallen to 16 percent, its worst level since Trudeau came to power, while the prime minister’s disapproval rating , via surveys “Trudeau Trackedr,” reached a record high of 74 percent.
The sudden resignation on December 16 of Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister who had been a close ally of the prime minister, following disagreements with Trudeau over government spending, sparked renewed calls for her resignation, both within the opposition than in his own party.
Following Freeland’s decision, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said on December 20 that his party was considering withdrawing its support for either Trudeau or the Liberal Party. Singh promised that his party’s voting bloc would consider ousting the government when Parliament resumes in late January, which would likely lead to snap elections.
