BREAKING: Trudeau Officially Announces Resignation
Justin Trudeau officially relinquished the prime ministership on Monday and will soon offer Canada’s lawmakers a vacancy which may be filled by another member of the Liberal Party or could see Conservatives take control amid the tumult.
News of Trudeau’s exit began to trickle out Sunday when the Globe and Mail reported that he was prepared to resign ahead of a Wednesday meeting of the Liberal Party’s caucus, affording him the chance to avoid an intra-party challenge as well as a clean break from elected office. By Monday morning, it was reported that the timeline had been moved up, and shortly afterward, the prime minister appeared outside his residence in a hastily arranged press conference. A decision has been made that Trudeau will remain on as prime minister until a successor can be named, sources told CNN.
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“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its new leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process,” the 53-year-old told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa on Monday.
“I’ve had a chance to reflect and had long talks with my family about our future,” Trudeau said earlier in his remarks. “Throughout my career, any success I have personally achieved has been because of their support and with their encouragement. So last night over dinner, I told my kids about my decision that I’m sharing with you today… This country deserves a real choice in the next election, 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.”
WATCH:
IT HAPPENED!
Justin Trudeau has RESIGNED! pic.twitter.com/kSIxE46eKX
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) January 6, 2025
🚨 #BREAKING – JUSTIN TRUDEAU: “I intend to resign as [Liberal] Party leader, as Prime Minister [of Canada] after the party selects its next leader.”
Replacement elections to happen in the near future.
“If I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option.” pic.twitter.com/HPAh6FJHlT
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 6, 2025
The first child of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the younger Trudeau seemed destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. He made his first bid for elected office in 2008, winning a seat in Parliament and rising to the top of the Liberal Party just five years later. In 2015, he ran on an anti-conservative platform, defeating Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and earning a definitive governing majority. He went on to win reelection in 2019 and 2021 after positioning himself as the antithesis of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, but a backlash against his progressive policies, notably on illegal immigration, has taken its toll.
Last month, political ally and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned, citing Trudeau’s inability to negotiate with Trump from a position of strength. He has slumped in the polls and put the Liberal Party at risk of a blowout in the October elections, a referendum that party leaders were already fearing would amount to a bloodbath. Freeland is among those believed to be in contention to replace Trudeau as prime minister, but should the Liberal Party’s coalition fail to rally around her or find another alternative, it may be Conservative Party opposition leader Pierre Poilievre who will replace Trudeau.
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