Trudeau quits as Canada PM amid party dissent, poor public opinion

He made the announcement at his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. It is set to end Trudeau’s nine-year tenure.

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“I have informed my party and the Governor that I intend to resign as leader of the party as well as prime minister of Canada, and will do so as soon as my successor is appointed through a robust nationwide competitive process,” he said.

‘New PM will carry party values’

“I hereby prorogue the Parliament until March 24 in order to initiate the process of finding a new leader to lead the party and Canada until elections scheduled for later this year,” he said.

Fifty-three-year-old Trudeau’s decision to step down comes amid internal party dissent and low public opinion ratings against him.

Stating that even though he is a “fighter”, Trudeau said the Parliament under him is in a “paralysed” state.

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“A new prime minister and leader of the party will carry its values and ideals into the next election, and I am excited to see that process unfold,” he said.

Call to change voting patterns

The Canadian prime minister also said that he has no regrets but wishes that “we’d been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country.”

“Voters should be allowed to pick their second and third choices on the voting ballot itself, instead of the current system, which is set to play to the advantage of those who want to polarise the situation and play Canadians against each other,” he said.

High disapproval rate

A Liberal Party source said a leadership race would take at least three months, although the party constitution requests at least four months.

The announcement of resignation comes as Trudeau's popularity continues to dwindle in Canada, which should hold an election by late October.

Public opinion polls show that his party will likely be swept out of power by Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.

According to Canadian pollster Angus Reid, Trudeau has a disapproval rate of around 68 per cent as of December 24.

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Pressure to resign

Trudeau faced a difficult few months in politics with his own party members calling for his resignation. In September, he faced a no confidence vote in parliament that later failed, despite efforts from the Conservative Party to remove him from office.

On December 16, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was stepping down from Trudeau's cabinet, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister. Later in December, one of Trudeau's key allies, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, said that he planned to present a formal motion of no-confidence against him.

Trudeau took over as Liberal leader in 2013.