On Monday, January 6, 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would step down as the country’s leader. The Canadian Parliament will remain in prorogued suspension—pausing all debates and votes—until March 24. The Liberal Party will convene this week to discuss selecting a new leader.
Trudeau’s resignation announcement comes amid several country crises and plummeting opinion polls. Following the 2024 election, Donald Trump announced plans to enact swift tariffs on Canada—a strategy that could devastate the North American economy. Trudeau met with Trump to discuss the tariffs but failed to reach a solid agreement. Several of Trudeau’s key allies have also announced recent resignations.
Trudeau has led Canada’s liberal party for the last 11 years. His decision to step down comes ahead of the Canadian federal election, which must be called by October. The Canadian Conservative Party has attempted to bring a series of no-confidence votes to the House of Commons to call an election sooner but has been unsuccessful despite maintaining a double-digit lead in polls.
When he announced his resignation, Trudeau clarified to Canadians that the opposing party’s leader, Pierre Polilievre, did not have his support. “His vision for this country is not the right one for Canadians. Stopping the fight against climate change doesn’t make sense,” he said. “We need an ambitious, optimistic view of the future. And Pierre Poilievre is not offering that.”
However, the conservative party leader celebrated Trudeau’s resignation with posts on X. “Canadians can take back control of their lives and their country,” he said, referring to Trudeau’s administration as a “dark chapter” in Canada’s history.
“Take back control of our border. Take back control of immigration. Take back control of spending, deficits, and inflation,” Poilievre continued. “We’ll cap spending, axe taxes, reward work, build homes, uphold family, stop crime, secure borders, rearm our forces, restore our freedom, and put Canada first.” Poilievre, who holds a heavy lead in the polls, has also gained allyship and support from Elon Musk. He may also have the support of members of Canada’s New Democratic Party who previously backed Trudeau but have revoked support for the Liberal Party following his resignation.
“They do not deserve another chance,” NDP Party leader Jagmeet Singh said following the resignation announcement.
In a press conference in Ottawa, Trudeau praised his administration for their decade at the helm of Canadian politics. He noted that his most significant accomplishments in office included supporting families during the COVID-19 pandemic and giving aid to Ukraine. “We rallied to support each other through the pandemic … to stand strong with Ukraine and our democracy, to fight climate change, and to get our economy ready for the future,” he said. “We are at a critical moment in the world.”
