Canada’s Trudeau resigns after party pressure over criticism of Trump, budget management

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he intends to step down as party leader and prime minister as pressure from his own Liberal Party grew amid mounting criticism of his handling of the economy and threats from the incoming President Donald Trump. He said he will step down when the party elects a new leader.

“I intend to step down as party leader as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau told reporters. “Last night I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. This country deserves a real election at the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I am going to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”

“As you all know, I’m a fighter and I’m not one to back down from a fight. Especially when the fight is as important as this one is. But I’ve always been driven by my love for Canada, by my desire of serving Canadians and of what is in the best interest of Canadians, Canadians deserve a real choice at the next election,” Trudeau added. “And it has become clear to me with,, the internal struggles, that I cannot be the one to carry the liberal standard into the next election.”

Trudeau, who led the nation for nearly a decade, has been struggling for months significant drops in his approval ratings over growing frustration with issues such as the skyrocketing cost of living and rising inflation.

Although there was no official path for his party to oust him from the top job, the now almost former prime minister faced either the threat of a parliamentary vote of no confidence or a protracted battle to hold on to his post until the October 2025 election – both options expected to see a crushing end to Trudeau’s time in office.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference on the airline industry in Montreal, Quebec on July 15, 2021. (ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

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The long-serving prime minister saw an increase in calls for his resignation, with at least seven Liberal members of parliament as well as from opposition party leaders who called for him to step aside following the abrupt departure of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, who wrote a scathing resignation letter citing criticism of his handling of certain economic policies as well as threats from Trump.

Freeland, once seen as Trudeau’s top ally and who helped oversee the 2020 deal between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada during the last Trump administration, warned of how Canada would respond to Trump’s threat in November to slap a 25% tariff on Canadian imports “will define us for a generation and maybe longer.”

“For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds over the best path forward for Canada,” she wrote. “Our country today faces a serious challenge.”

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, centre, Arif Virani, Canada’s Minister of Justice and Minister of Justice, right, and Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, during a cabinet retreat in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Tuesday January 23, 2024. Prime Minister Trudeau is preparing what he calls a “Team Canada” approach to engaging with the United States as the country prepares for a possible return of President Donald Trump. (Allen McInnis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism,” she continued, urging the prime minister to show more backbone when it comes to standing up to Trump and his “coming tariff war.”

Freeland’s comments sent shock waves across the Canadian government, with many backing her calls to show strength in the face of potentially tough economic times ahead.

Trudeau, who named close friend Dominic LeBlanc to take over as finance minister, later held a special meeting with his caucus during which according to LeBlanche said he “heard very clearly and listened carefully to their concerns and he would reflect on that.”

FILE – U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speak ahead of a NATO roundtable meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, on December 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

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Trudeau’s resignation means the Liberal Party can appoint an interim prime minister to lead the country until next fall’s election, potentially giving them a fighting chance to bring renewed support back to the Liberal Party.

It remains unclear who is likely to take Trudeau’s seat, but LeBlanc — who also met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this month with the former prime minister — was reported to be a leading contender.

Trump has yet to publicly comment on Trudeau’s resignation, and his transition team did not respond to earlier Fox News Digital questions about his influence on Canadian politics.