Trudeau, who has led Canada for nine years as the leader of the governing Liberal Party, has seen his government thrust into turmoil after his finance minister quit last month.

Justin Trudeau stepped down as prime minister of Canada on Monday amidst a crisis in his government and low polling ratings.

He has also resigned as party leader and prorogued the country’s parliament, stating he will remain in office leading the country until his successor is in place.

Trudeau announced his resignation in a speech in which he said he was a “fighter” but that “this country deserves a real choice” at the next election — admitting that he felt he was not the right choice to lead his party to victory.

The now-former leader indicated that the crisis in his government was a reason for his decision to resign, saying that it had become clear if he had to fight “internal battles,” he could not be the best option for Canadians.

Trudeau has been grappling with his leadership following the shock resignation of his Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Freeland, one of his most powerful and loyal ministers, disagreed with Trudeau on how to best deal with US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose harsh tariffs on Canadian goods.

Taking questions after his speech, Trudeau praised Freeland but declined to give details on their “private conversations” surrounding her resignation and whether or not it led to his decision to resign.

In his speech, Trudeau outlined his achievements as prime minister, saying that Canada was a better country today than when he first took office in 2015. He added one of his regrets was not introducing electoral reform — in particular allowing Canadians to be able to choose their second and third choices in elections.

Trudeau said he was “excited” for a leadership contest within his own Liberal party and said the leader of Canada’s largest opposition party, Pierre Poilievre, was not the right person for the job of leading the nation.

Several of Trudeau’s own MPs had already called for him to step down ahead of his announcemt amidst a government in turmoil. His popularity with the Canadian public has also fallen, with the latest polls suggesting that his Liberal party would face election defeat when Canadians head to the polls this year.

A September Ipsos poll showed that only 26% of respondents said that Trudeau would be their choice for prime minister, far behind his Conservative party rival.

An election is due to take place before October this year, but Trudeau’s resignation could lead to calls for a snap election.

Trudeau first rose to power in 2015, leading his party from third to first place in an unexpected victory. He promised a platform of open immigration, battling climate change and increased taxes on the wealthy.

His tenure had since been marred by several political scandals, including the resignation of his then-Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. In 2019, his re-election campaign was tarnished by released images of him as a younger man wearing brown face makeup on several occasions.

Despite these setbacks, Trudeau held onto power for nine years making him the longest-serving leader out of those in the G7 until his resignation on Monday.

More recently, he struggled to remain popular with the public, who are frustrated with the growing cost of living.

His replacement will have to deal with Trump’s tariff threats. The president-elect, who will assume power in January, has promised to levy 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico in an effort to combat illegal migration and the fetanyl crisis in the US.

Economists have warned such tariffs would hurt the Canadian economy significantly.

by Tamsin Paternoster

Credits: euronews.com