OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that he will stand down as leader of the ruling Liberals after nine years in government, but will remain in his position until the party selects a successor.
Trudeau, under intense pressure from Liberal MPs to resign as polls suggest the party would be defeated at the next election, said at a news conference that parliament will be halted until March.
That means Trudeau will remain prime minister on January 20, when US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has threatened to implement tariffs that would devastate the Canadian economy.
Trudeau, 53, assumed office in November 2015 and was reelected again, making him one of Canada’s longest-serving prime leaders.
However, his popularity began to dwindle two years ago as a result of public outrage over excessive prices and a housing shortage, and it has never recovered.
Polls predict that the Liberals will lose heavily to the official opposition Conservatives in an election scheduled for late October, regardless of who leads.
Parliament was scheduled to return on January 27, and opposition groups had sworn to depose the administration as soon as possible, most likely by the end of March.
However, if Parliament does not return until March 24, the earliest a non-confidence motion may be presented is in May.
