Ottawa, Jan 6: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to resign as the leader of the Liberal Party this week amid internal party dissent and low public opinion ratings, according to a media report.
The Globe and Mail newspaper citing sources said it is unclear when exactly Trudeau, who has been Canada’s prime minister since 2015, will step down, but a resignation is expected to come before a national caucus meeting on Wednesday.
One of the sources, who spoke recently to the Prime Minister, said Trudeau, 53, realises he needs to make a statement before he meets the Liberal caucus so it doesn’t look like he was forced out by his own MPs.
The sources said they are unsure about what the Liberal Party’s national executive plans to do to replace Trudeau as leader. They said it remains unclear whether he will leave immediately or stay on as Prime Minister until a new leader is selected.
The Liberal Party national executive, which decides on leadership issues, plans to meet this week, likely after the caucus session, the report said.
On Friday, The Globe reported that Trudeau’s advisers are looking at how he can remain Prime Minister while a new Liberal leader is selected.
A source said on Sunday they believed that Trudeau would stay in his position until a new leader was chosen.
The party has two options: appoint an interim leader on the recommendation of the national caucus or hold a shortened leadership contest. A leadership contest would require the Prime Minister to request that Governor-General Mary Simon prorogue Parliament, which constitutional experts say is not guaranteed, the paper said.
Another source said it makes sense for Trudeau to remain as Prime Minister until a leader is chosen so he can deal with the incoming US administration of Donald Trump and his threat of 25-per-cent tariffs.
A Liberal Party source said a leadership race would take at least three months, although the party constitution requests at least four months.
The news of resignation comes as Trudeau’s popularity continues to dwindle in Canada, which should hold an election by late October.
Public opinion polls show that his party will likely be swept out of power by Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
According to Canadian pollster Angus Reid, Trudeau has a disapproval rate of around 68 per cent as of December 24.
Trudeau faced a difficult few months in politics. His own party members are calling for his resignation. In September, he faced a no confidence vote in parliament that later failed, despite efforts from the Conservative Party to remove him from office.
On December 16, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was stepping down from Trudeau’s cabinet, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister. Later in December, one of Trudeau’s key allies, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, said that he planned to present a formal motion of no-confidence against him.
Trudeau took over as Liberal leader in 2013. If he resigns, it would likely spur fresh calls for a quick election to put in place a stable government. (PTI)
