Canada PM Justin Trudeau to Resign This Week Amid Mounting Pressure: Report

Ottawa: Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, who has been facing a lot of pressure from both within his party and by the Opposition, will be stepping down from his position this week as per the latest reports. A key national caucus meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday and the reports suggest that Trudeau is expected to resign before this meeting.

Canada PM Justin Trudeau to Resign This Week: Report

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce as early as Monday that he will resign as Liberal Party Leader, The Globe and Mail reported on Sunday, citing three sources. The sources told the Globe and Mail that they don't know definitely when Trudeau will announce his plans to leave and it remains unclear whether Trudeau will leave immediately or stay on as prime minister until a new leader is selected, the report said.

Trudeau To Resign Amid Mounting Pressure Both Internal and External

Reports that Trudeau may resign from his position have been circulating for a while now amid mounting pressure from both members of his own party and the Opposition. Problems for Trudeau heightened after the opposition party that backed his government for years announced it will vote no confidence in the government when Parliament resumes. 

Parliament is now shut for the holidays until late next month, but the leftist New Democratic Party said it would trigger a vote of no confidence in Trudeau after lawmakers reconvene on Jan 27. Because Trudeau’s Liberals do not hold an outright majority in Parliament, they have for years depended on the support of the NDP to pass legislation and stay in power.

Several MPs Demanded Justin Trudeau's Resignation

Several MPs, during the course of the last month, have demanded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called on Trudeau to resign and he made clear that the NDP will vote to bring down the government. “No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons,” Singh said in letter released just before the Cabinet shuffle. In another video, Jagmeet Singh said, "I am calling on Justin Trudeau to resign, he has to go. Right now, Canadians are struggling with the cost of living - I hear it everywhere I go. People cannot find a home that they can afford, they can't buy their groceries and on top of that, we have Trump threatening tariffs at 25% which puts hundreds and thousands of Canadian jobs at risk.”

Liberal Rob Oliphant was another lawmaker to call for the prime minister to step aside, saying there should be a “robust, open leadership contest.” Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said Canada needs an immediate election and requires a prime minister who can face Trump from a position of strength. “We cannot have a chaotic clown show running our government into the ground,” he said.

Indian-origin MP in Canada Chandra Arya also wrote a letter to the Canadian PM, telling him that now it is time for him to step aside. A part of the letter read, “With all opposition parties united to vote on a motion of non-confidence, I believe it is time for you to step aside as leader of the Liberal caucus immediately.”

Chrystia Freeland's Resignation Increased Trudeau's Problems

Concerns about Trudeau’s leadership were exacerbated when Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s finance minister and deputy prime minister, resigned from the Cabinet. Freeland was highly critical of Trudeau’s handling of the economy in the face of steep tariffs threatened by Trump. Shortly before Freeland announced her decision, the housing minister also quit.

In his letter to Trudeau, Chandra Arya has openly praised the ‘political acumen' of Chrystia Freeland who recently resigned from the post of Finance Minister and has batted for her to replace Trudeau and lead the nation. He said, “Chrystia Freeland's resignation marked a pivotal shift. While I was disappointed by the timing of her announcement, I must acknowledge her exceptional political acumen. Whether by design or circumstance, she has emerged as a credible and stable alternative to your leadership.

Canada PM Justin Trudeau to Resign, What's Next

While there has been no report of who may succeed Trudeau after his resignation but according to political analysts, here are the possible candidates who may take Trudeau's position.

Longer term, a person likely to seek power in the Liberal Party post-Trudeau is Mark Carney, the former head of the Bank of Canada, and later the Bank of England. Carney has long been interested in entering politics and becoming prime minister. Another possible candidate is Trudeau's new finance minister, Dominic LeBlanc. The former public safety minister, and a close friend of Trudeau, LeBlanc recently joined the prime minister at a dinner with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

(Inputs from Reuters, AP)