Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation Monday as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister. He said he would stay on as leader until a successor has been chosen.
Trudeau met with Governor General Mary Simon to prorogue parliament until March 24.
“Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority Parliament in Canadian history,” he said speaking to reporters outside Rideau Hall on Monday. “Last night, over dinner, I told my kids about the decision I’m sharing with you today. I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process.”
He said he has asked the president of the Liberal party to begin the process of selecting a new leader.
“This country deserves a real choice in the next election,” he said. “And it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”
A growing number of Liberal members of parliament (MPs), including the Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Ontario caucuses, have publicly called for Trudeau’s resignation.
Just hours before Chrystia Freeland was expected to deliver the fall economic statement, she resigned from Trudeau’s cabinet – outlining her reasons in a scathing letter.
Freeland said that on Dec. 13, Trudeau told her he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister but offered her another position within the cabinet.
“Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from cabinet,” she wrote in the letter.
Several other high-profile MPs have announced they would not seek re-election, including former Housing Minister Sean Fraser and former cabinet member Marco Mendicino.
Trudeau has been Liberal leader since 2013 and served as PM since October 2015. He was first elected in 2008 in the riding of Montréal riding of Papineau.
Nathalie Sturgeon
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter