Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce his resignation as leader of the country’s Liberal Party early this week, Canadian media reported.
According to a report from the Globe and Mail that cited three unnamed sources, Trudeau is expected to step down from leadership by Wednesday, when a national caucus meeting is scheduled.
However, a source familiar with Trudeau’s thinking told Reuters that while Trudeau is increasingly likely to step down, he has not made a final decision.
Trudeau’s resignation would lead to a race for party leadership, and the winner would be the next prime minister of Canada. It is unknown whether Trudeau would remain as prime minister until a next leader is elected, or if he would abandon his post before then.
The news comes as Trudeau has faced record-low popularity and high-profile resignations in his Cabinet, particularly his former finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, who stepped down in mid-December.
Freeland’s reasoning for stepping down was disagreement between her and the prime minister over how to respond to President-elect Donald Trump’s 25% tariff threat.
Trudeau at the time told her he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister, but did offer her another Cabinet position. Freeland stepped down just before she was set to give a major speech about Canada’s finances.
According to a report, some of Trudeau’s advisers didn’t believe he could survive the political fallout from Freeland’s resignation.
Canada is in an election year, with Election Day slated for Oct. 20. Polls show Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre in the lead with 44% of the vote, and Trudeau in second with 20.9%.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
This is a developing story and may be updated.
