Trudeau confirms he will resign as Liberal Party leader and PM: 'Country deserves a real choice'

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OTTAWA — After nearly a decade in office, Canada’s 23rd prime minister is stepping down.

And to facilitate a race to choose a new Liberal Party leader to succeed him, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Parliament will be prorogued until March 24.

“Despite best efforts to work through it, Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority government in Canadian history,” he told reporters on a frigid Monday morning outside of Rideau Cottage in Ottawa.

“That’s why this morning I advised the Governor General that we need a new session of Parliament.”

With simmering years-long discontent over the Liberal leader coming to a head late last year, Trudeau ended rampant Christmas holiday speculation with Monday’s announcement — but many questions remain unanswered as the Liberals prepare to choose their new leader.

Trudeau will remain prime minister and Liberal Party leader until that leadership race is held.

After spending the Christmas vacation to reflect on his future, an emotional Trudeau said he informed his children over Sunday dinner of his plans.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” he told reporters.

While Trudeau spent the past year-and-a-half facing plummeting poll numbers and increasing challenges to his leadership, it was the snap resignation of former finance minister Christie Freeland — who stepped down Dec. 16 just hours before she was to deliver her government’s long-awaited Fall Economic Statement — that put the final nail into the coffin of Trudeau’s time as PM.

Trudeau wouldn’t elaborate on how Freeland’s resignation factored into his announcement Monday, but described her as an “incredible political partner.”

Freeland’s mid-December resignation touched off waves of Liberal MPs calling for Trudeau to step aside, particularly ahead of this month’s inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is promising punishing trade tariffs against Canada over the state of our border.

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Many questions remain in the wake of Monday’s announcement, including what will happen once Parliament resumes in March, and the process for choosing a new leader.

In a statement issued early Monday afternoon, federal Liberal Party President Sachit Mehra said a meeting of the party’s national board will take place this week to set the leadership race in motion.

With opposition parties promising to introduce confidence motions designed to topple the minority Liberals, it remains to be seen how long the government will last once Parliament resumes in late March.

“There’s always going to be the challenge of having a leadership race while a Parliament would face confidence votes in the course of delivering supply to the government,” Trudeau said.

“I truly feel that removing the contention around my own continued leadership is an opportunity to bring the temperature down.”

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