Justin Trudeau expected to resign as Liberal Party leader: report

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may announce his/her resignation as Liberal Party leader on Monday amid growing dissent within his/her caucus, The Globe and Mail reported, citing sources.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the exact timing of Trudeau’s announcement remains uncertain. However, he/she anticipates this will happen before a crucial national caucus meeting on Wednesday.

A source who recently spoke to the prime minister said Trudeau understands the importance of making an announcement before the caucus meeting to avoid the perception that he/she has been ousted by his/her MPs.

Sources also said there is no clarity on how the Liberal Party’s national executive plans to handle the leadership change. It is uncertain whether Trudeau will step down immediately or continue to act as prime minister until a successor is chosen.

The Liberal Party’s national executive, which decides on leadership issues, plans to meet this week, possibly after a caucus session, The Globe and Mail reports.

Notably, Trudeau’s Liberal caucus will meet on Wednesday as MPs increasingly call on him/her to resign. Parliamentarians are scheduled to return to Ottawa on Jan. 27 and the three main opposition parties say they plan to topple the government at the first opportunity, according to a report by Radio Canada.

Canada has experienced political turmoil in recent months. Earlier on December 16, a few hours before the statement on Canada’s economy, former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland had announced her resignation from the cabinet.

In a letter addressed to PM Trudeau, Freeland wrote, “It has been the honor of my life to serve in government for Canada and Canadians. Together we have achieved a lot. On Friday, you told me that you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another post in the Cabinet.

“Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable course of action for me is to resign from the Cabinet. To be effective, a minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his/her full confidence. In making your decision, you made it clear that I no longer enjoy that confidence and the authority that comes with it. “For the past several weeks, you and I have been at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” the letter says.

Following Freeland’s resignation, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh urged Trudeau to “resign” and said that “all options” were on the table when asked if he/she would support a motion of no confidence.