Why has Justin Trudeau resigned – and what’s next for Canada?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said helium volition resign as enactment leader, amid mounting dissent from wrong his Liberal Party.

His announcement on Monday follows a swirl of speculation implicit his governmental aboriginal pursuing nationalist spats with erstwhile allies, a no-confidence question that was called for aboriginal successful January and falling canvass numbers.

“ Every greeting I person woken up arsenic premier minister, I’ve been inspired by the resilience, the generosity, and the determination of Canadians,” Trudeau said successful remarks from his residence astatine Rideau Cottage successful Ottawa.

In announcing his intention to measurement down arsenic enactment leader, helium noted the uphill conflict the Liberals look arsenic they caput into a national predetermination season. He explained helium would measurement speech erstwhile a replacement has been found.

“ This state deserves a existent prime successful the adjacent election, and it is go wide to maine that, if I’m having to combat interior battles, I cannot beryllium the champion enactment successful that election.”

Trudeau announced his program earlier the Liberal Party’s nationalist caucus connected Wednesday.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir Trudeau’s resignation, what led to it, and what this means for Canada.

Who is Trudeau?

Trudeau, 53, swept to powerfulness successful 2015 and led the Liberals to 2 much ballot container victories successful 2019 and 2021.

The eldest lad of the charismatic erstwhile Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who died successful 2000, Justin Trudeau came to authorities aft moving arsenic a snowboard instructor, bartender, bouncer and teacher.

He was archetypal elected to the House of Commons successful 2008 to correspond a working-class Montreal neighbourhood.

He overhauled the Senate with the purpose of making it little governmental and much transparent by ending partisan appointments and creating an independent, merit-based enactment process.

He besides signed a caller commercialized woody with the United States and introduced a c taxation to trim Canada’s greenhouse state emissions during his archetypal 2 presumption arsenic premier minister.

The begetter of 3 besides legalised cannabis, held a nationalist enquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and passed authorities permitting medically assisted suicide.

In Monday’s remarks, Trudeau reflected connected immoderate of his accomplishments portion successful office.

“We got elected successful 2015 to combat for the mediate class, and that’s precisely what we’ve done implicit the past years,” helium said. “We’ve reduced their taxes, we’ve accrued the benefits to families, we made definite the system was focused connected moving for everyone and not conscionable a few.”

How did we get here?

Trudeau’s popularity has waned successful caller months, with his authorities narrowly surviving a bid of no-confidence votes and critics calling for his resignation.

He had pledged to enactment connected to usher the Liberals to elections but has faced further unit from incoming US President Donald Trump, who has threatened a 25-percent tariff connected Canadian goods.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland discontinue successful December aft disagreeing with Trudeau implicit however to respond to Trump’s evident plan, successful the archetypal unfastened dissent against the premier curate wrong his cabinet.

In a station connected X, Freeland said she was leaving aft Trudeau asked her to measurement down arsenic concern minister. She cited disagreements with the premier minister, including however to grip Trump’s tariff menace and “‘America first’ economical nationalism”.

Since then, an expanding fig of Liberal parliamentarians, alarmed by a bid of gloomy polls, person publically urged Trudeau to quit.

What happens next?

Trudeau has requested that Canada’s Parliament look a play of prorogation, pausing its sessions until March 24. Governor General Mary Simon has approved the request.

As for the Liberals, Trudeau’s departure is acceptable to footwear disconnected a contention to sanction his successor arsenic enactment leader.

That contention comes astatine a pivotal clip for the party, arsenic it faces a national election, slated to beryllium held earlier October 20. Polls suggested that, nether Trudeau’s leadership, the Liberal Party would person severely mislaid to the rival Conservatives if the ballot were held imminently.

“ I mean to resign arsenic enactment leader, arsenic premier minister, aft the enactment selects its adjacent person done a robust, nationwide, competitory process,” Trudeau said.

Now that Trudeau has announced his volition to measurement aside, the Liberals volition request to acceptable up a peculiar enactment normal to take their adjacent head.

The situation for the enactment is that these conventions usually instrumentality months to put and if an predetermination does hap earlier then, the Liberals would beryllium successful the hands of a premier curate not chosen by members.

That has ne'er happened successful Canada. The Liberals could effort to tally a shorter normal than usual, but that mightiness punctual protests from candidates who consciousness astatine a disadvantage.

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s erstwhile lawman premier curate and concern minister, gestures during a quality league earlier delivering the autumn economical update successful Ottawa successful 2023 [File: Blair Gable/Reuters]

Who are immoderate imaginable candidates for Liberal Party chief?

Here are immoderate of the politicians wide touted arsenic imaginable contenders for the Liberal Party’s apical job.

• Mark Carney: An economist and banker who served arsenic erstwhile politician of the Bank of Canada, helium has been advising the Liberal authorities connected economical matters.
• Francois-Philippe Champagne: The curate of innovation, subject and manufacture since 2021, helium was the curate of overseas affairs earlier that.
• Chrystia Freeland: She is the MP for University-Rosedale, Ontario, and the erstwhile lawman premier minister. Formerly a adjacent advisor to Trudeau, her departure from his authorities was seen arsenic a reckoning for his leadership. She is regarded arsenic a credible and unchangeable alternate to his leadership. In polls, she fares the champion among Liberal politicians earlier elections.
• Melanie Joly: The existent curate of overseas affairs, Joly has been salient connected the planetary signifier and volition beryllium tasked with handling Trump-related issues erstwhile helium takes office. She has been a staunch protagonist of Trudeau.
• Dominic LeBlanc: Seen arsenic a adjacent state of Trudeau, helium was appointed concern curate aft Freeland’s departure.

How does Trump fig successful each of this?

The United States president-elect has threatened to enforce sweeping tariffs connected its 3 largest trading partners – Canada, Mexico and China – arsenic soon arsenic helium takes bureau connected January 20.

“Both Mexico and Canada person the implicit close and powerfulness to easy lick this long-simmering problem,” Trump said successful a November station connected his societal media level Truth Social.

“We hereby request that they usage this power, and until specified clip that they do, it is clip for them to wage a precise large price!”

Trudeau travelled to Florida successful November to conscionable with Trump astatine his Mar-a-Lago property successful a bid to caput disconnected a commercialized war.

But the US president-elect has since besides landed humiliating blows against Trudeau connected societal media, repeatedly calling him “governor” of Canada and declaring that the US’s bluish neighbour becoming the 51st US authorities is simply a “great idea”.

Several of Trump’s allies, including billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, person besides been attacking Trudeau from their platforms.

Musk, for example, greeted the quality that Trudeau would measurement down with a post connected his societal media level X: “2025 is looking good.”

Who is Pierre Poilievre?

He’s the antheral wide expected to go premier curate aft Canada’s adjacent election.

In caller days, Trudeau has trailed the Conservative Party main by 20 points successful nationalist sentiment polls.

Poilievre is not known for pulling his punches. He has called Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante “incompetent”, New Democratic Party person Jagmeet Singh a “sellout” and Trudeau “weak” and a “wacko”.

The second insult saw him temporarily kicked retired of the House of Commons for “unparliamentary language” successful April. Debates successful the Canadian Parliament are usually staid but person go much tense and animated of late.

Conservative Party person Pierre Poilievre speaks successful the House of Commons connected Parliament Hill successful Ottawa, connected December 16, 2024 [Blair Gable/Reuters]

Like Trump, Poilievre is besides a instrumentality of abbreviated catchy phrases to encapsulate his governmental messages.

He has called to “axe the tax”, successful notation to a national c tax, and has coined the word “Justinflation” – a portmanteau of the premier minister’s sanction and the connection “inflation”.

Much similar Trump, helium besides likes to picture himself arsenic a unfortunate of mistreatment by elites and accepted media.

He besides has debased enactment among women, different similarity with Trump.

In 2022, erstwhile helium fought for the enactment of the country’s main absorption Conservatives, the vocation person with 20 years of acquisition was nevertheless seen arsenic an outsider, but drew ample crowds astatine his rallies.

Born successful Calgary, Poilievre was raised by an adoptive family. He developed a passionateness for authorities astatine an aboriginal property and won a prize during his assemblage studies for an effort connected what helium would bash if helium were premier minister.

With polls showing helium is apt to triumph successful the adjacent election, helium has promised to enactment “Canada first!” – a slogan akin to Trump’s ain “America first!”

Poilievre revisted that slogan connected Monday successful a societal media video celebrating Trudeau’s determination to measurement aside.

“Canada first, Canada last, Canada always,” helium said, calling connected voters to rally to his side. “Let’s bring it home.”