His departure could leave the party without a permanent leader as polls indicate potential electoral defeat.
Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is increasingly likely to announce his intention to step down, though he has not made a final decision, a source said on Sunday.
The source — requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly — shared this with Reuters after The Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation as leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party as early as Monday, after nine years in office.
Trudeau’s departure would leave the party without a permanent leader at a time when polls show the Liberals facing a significant defeat to the official opposition Conservatives.
The Globe and Mail reported that it is unclear when Trudeau will make his announcement, but it is expected before an emergency meeting of Liberal legislators on Wednesday.
An increasing number of Liberal parliamentarians, alarmed by a series of gloomy polls, have publicly urged Trudeau to resign.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. Trudeau’s scheduled participation in a virtual cabinet committee meeting on Canada-US relations for Monday was highlighted in his public schedule.
It remains uncertain whether Trudeau will resign immediately or remain as Prime Minister until a new Liberal leader is selected, The Globe and Mail report added.
Growing Discontent
Trudeau took over as Liberal leader in 2013 when the party was in deep trouble and had been reduced to third place in the House of Commons for the first time.
If he does resign, it is likely to prompt fresh calls for a quick election to establish a stable government able to deal with the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump for the next four years.
The Prime Minister has discussed with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc whether he would be willing to step in as interim leader and PM. One source told the newspaper that this would be unworkable if LeBlanc plans to run for the leadership.
53-year-old Trudeau had managed to fend off Liberal legislators concerned about polls and lost safe seats in two special elections.
However, calls for him to step down grew following his attempt to demote Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in December, after Freeland pushed back against his spending proposals.
Freeland resigned instead and penned a letter accusing Trudeau of engaging in “political gimmicks” rather than focusing on what was best for the country.
Trudeau propelled the Liberals to power in 2015 promising “sunny ways” and a progressive agenda that promoted women’s rights and a commitment to combat climate change.
But the challenges of governance gradually wore him down, much like other Western leaders dealing with the pandemic’s effects.
Though Ottawa invested heavily to protect consumers and businesses, creating record budget deficits, this didn’t shield the government from public anger as prices soared.
A botched immigration policy led to hundreds of thousands of arrivals, further straining an already overheated housing market.
