Trudeau Says He Is Resigning as Canada PM

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, saying he will leave office as soon as the ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader. 

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister,” Trudeau, who has been in power since 2015, told reporters in Ottawa following a protracted political crisis that saw top Liberal allies urge him to quit. 

Trudeau could seek to stay on as a caretaker prime minister while the party chooses a new leader, a process that could take several months. 

A new party leader would then be tasked with shoring up support for Liberals ahead of a general election that must be held this year. 

Trudeau’s Liberals are trailing badly in the polls to the opposition Conservatives and narrowly survived three non-confidence votes in parliament late last year.  

Trudeau’s political fortunes plunged to new depths following the surprise resignation in December of his former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland.

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In a scathing resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of focusing on political gimmicks to appease voters, including a costly Christmas tax holiday, instead of steadying Canada’s finances ahead of a possible trade war with the United States. 

Incoming US president Donald Trump has promised to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports, a measure that could prove devastating to Canada’s economy.