Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to announce his resignation this week as he faces mounting dissent within his Liberal Party, newspaper The Globe and Mail reported Sunday. Citing three anonymous sources knowledgeable of internal party matters, the Globe said Trudeau's announcement could come as early as Monday.
The announcement would likely come before a national Liberal Party caucus on Wednesday, according to the Globe's sources. It remained unclear if Trudeau would remain in an interim capacity while the Liberal Party sought new leadership, the Globe reported.
Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two more ballot box victories in 2019 and 2021. But he now trails his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, by 20 points in public opinion polls.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, emphasised that the exact timing of Trudeau's announcement remains uncertain. However, they anticipate it will occur before a crucial national caucus meeting on Wednesday. One source, who recently spoke with the Prime Minister, said Trudeau understands the importance of making an announcement ahead of the caucus meeting to avoid the belief that he was ousted by his MPs.
The sources also said there is no clarity on how the Liberal Party's national executive plans to handle the leadership transition. It is uncertain whether Trudeau will step down immediately or continue serving as Prime Minister until a successor is chosen.
The Liberal Party national executive, which decides on leadership issues, plans to meet this week, likely after the caucus session, The Globe And Mail reported.
Notably, Trudeau's Liberal caucus will meet on Wednesday as MPs increasingly call for him to resign. MPs are due to return to Ottawa on January 27 and the three main opposition parties all say they plan to bring down the government at the first opportunity, according to a report by Radio Canada.
Canada has experienced political turmoil in the recent months. Earlier on December 16, hours before the statement on Canada's economy, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation from the Cabinet.
In the letter addressed to PM Trudeau, Freeland wrote, "It has been the honour of my life to serve in government, working for Canada and Canadians. We have accomplished a lot together. On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the Cabinet."
"Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the Cabinet. To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it. For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada," the letter added.
Following Freeland's resignation, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had urged Trudeau "to resign" and stated that "all options" were on the table when asked whether he would back a non-confidence motion.
