Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday, saying he will leave office as soon as the ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader after months of slumping polls and internal division.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader,” Trudeau, who has been in power since 2015, told reporters in Ottawa following a protracted political crisis that saw top Liberal allies urge him to quit.
It was not immediately clear how long Trudeau will remain in office as a caretaker premier.
He said the Liberal leadership race will be “a robust, nationwide competitive process.”
That means Trudeau will continue to lead Canada when incoming US president Donald Trump takes office this month and will be tasked with leading the country’s initial response to the new US administration, including a possible trade war.
