Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau may soon announce his resignation.
Reuters, citing a private source, reported on January 5th that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is increasingly likely to announce his intention to resign, although he has not yet made a final decision.
The source, who requested anonymity, revealed the information to Reuters after the Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau was expected to announce as early as January 6th that he would step down as leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party after nine years in power.
Trudeau's departure will leave the party without a permanent leader at a time when polls suggest the Liberal Party will suffer a heavy defeat to the official opposition Conservative Party in an election that must be held before the end of October 2025.
Sources told the Globe and Mail that they didn't know exactly when Trudeau would announce his resignation plans, but said they anticipated it would happen before an emergency meeting of Liberal lawmakers on January 8.
Concerned about a series of unfavorable poll results, an increasing number of Liberal MPs are calling for Trudeau's resignation. The Canadian Prime Minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours. The Prime Minister's regularly published schedule indicates that Trudeau will participate virtually in a Cabinet Committee meeting on Canada-U.S. relations on January 6th.
The Globe and Mail's sources added that it remains unclear whether Prime Minister Trudeau will leave office immediately or continue as prime minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is elected.
Trudeau became leader of the Liberal Party in 2013 when the party was facing serious difficulties and had fallen to third place in the House of Commons for the first time.
If he resigns, this could spark calls for a swift election to establish a stable government capable of confronting President-elect Donald Trump's administration for the next four years.
A source told the newspaper that Prime Minister Trudeau had discussed with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc whether he would be willing to take on the role of interim prime minister, noting that this would be difficult if LeBlanc planned to run for the leadership position.
Trudeau, 53, was once able to fend off concerns from Liberal MPs worried about polls and the loss of safe seats in two special elections.
But calls for his resignation have increased since December 2024, when Trudeau attempted to remove Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of his closest allies in the cabinet, after she opposed his proposed spending increases.
Instead, Freeland resigned and wrote a letter accusing Trudeau of using "political maneuvering" instead of focusing on what was best for the country.
Prime Minister Trudeau brought the Liberal Party to power in 2015 with a promise of "brighter days" and a progressive agenda that promoted women's rights and pledged to combat climate change.
But the daily realities of managing gradually wore him down, and like many Western leaders, the need to respond to the impacts of the pandemic consumed much of his time.
Although Ottawa has spent heavily to protect consumers and businesses, resulting in record budget deficits, this has offered little protection against public outrage as prices have soared.
A flawed immigration policy has led to hundreds of thousands of immigrants coming to Canada, further straining an already overheated housing market.
