Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is increasingly likely to announce he intends to step down, though he has not made a final decision, a source familiar with Trudeau's thinking said on Sunday.
The source spoke to Reuters after the Globe and Mail reported that Trudeau was expected to announce as early as Monday that he would quit as leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party after nine years in office.
The source requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Trudeau's departure would leave the party without a permanent head at a time when polls show the Liberals will badly lose to the official opposition Conservatives in an election that must be held by late October.
Sources told the Globe and Mail that they did not know definitely when Trudeau would announce his plans to leave but said they expect it would happen before a emergency meeting of Liberal legislators on Wednesday.
An increasing number of Liberal parliamentarians, alarmed by a series of gloomy polls, have publicly urged Trudeau to quit.
The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. The prime minister's regularly published schedule for Monday said he would participate virtually in a cabinet committee meeting on Canada-U.S. relations.
It remains unclear whether Trudeau will leave immediately or stay on as prime minister until a new Liberal leader is selected, the Globe and Mail report added.
CALLS TO RESIGN GROW
Trudeau took over as Liberal leader in 2013 when the party was in deep trouble and had been reduced to third place in the House of Commons for the first time.
If he does resign, it would likely spur fresh calls for a quick election to put in place a stable government able to deal with the administration of President-elect Donald Trump for the next four years.
The prime minister has discussed with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc whether he would be willing to step in as interim leader and prime minister, one source told the newspaper, adding that this would be unworkable if LeBlanc plans to run for the leadership.
Trudeau, 53, had been able to fend off Liberal legislators worried about the polls and the loss of safe seats in two special elections.
But calls for him to step aside have grown since December, when Trudeau tried to demote Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of his closest cabinet allies, after she pushed back against his proposals for more spending.
Freeland quit instead and penned a letter accusing Trudeau of "political gimmicks" rather than focusing on what was best for the country.
Trudeau propelled the Liberals to power in 2015 promising "sunny ways" and a progressive agenda that promoted the rights of women and a promise to fight climate change.
But the everyday realities of governing gradually wore him down and like many Western leaders, the need to deal with the effects of the pandemic ate up much of his time.
Although Ottawa spent heavily to protect consumers and businesses, racking up record budget deficits, this provided little protection from public anger as prices soared.
A botched immigration policy led to hundreds of thousands of arrivals, straining an already overheated housing market.
President-elect Donald Trump has sparked international controversy by refusing to rule out military or economic measures to secure control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, which he claims are crucial to U.S. national security.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his plans to step down from his role as prime minister.
An Air Canada flight made an emergency landing in Halifax after a landing gear issue caused skidding and an engine fire. All passengers were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported.
Political tensions are mounting in Canada as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing criticism from opposition parties and challenges within his own administration.
Special Guests Broadcaster and Analyst Olly Barrat and Aiti Malhotra from the Canadian Global Affairs Institute join AnewZ's Editor-in-Chief Guy Shone \to make sense of Canada’s political crisis, the consequences of the resignation of Finance Ministry Chrystia Freeland.
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Poland has closed its Consulate General in St. Petersburg after Russia ordered its shutdown in retaliation for Warsaw’s closure of the Russian consulate in Poznań. The move highlights escalating diplomatic tensions, with both sides accusing each other of hostile actions.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry is working with Eritrean authorities to secure the release of 18 Azerbaijani citizens detained after their vessels entered Eritrean waters on November 7, 2024, due to severe weather. The crew faces charges of unauthorized entry.
Fuel vendors in Damascus are thriving in the post-Assad era, providing much-needed gasoline and diesel to Syrians after years of repression under the former regime. The shift has brought newfound freedom and relief from years of repression.
In Australia, 3 people have died after a light aircraft crashed near Rottnest Island on Wednesday. The plane was carrying 6 passengers and plunged into the sea shortly after takeoff.
Iran’s top security official, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, has arrived in Baku to bolster political and security ties with South Caucasus nations and discuss regional peace, with meetings planned with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Poland has closed its Consulate General in St. Petersburg after Russia ordered its shutdown in retaliation for Warsaw’s closure of the Russian consulate in Poznań. The move highlights escalating diplomatic tensions, with both sides accusing each other of hostile actions.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry is working with Eritrean authorities to secure the release of 18 Azerbaijani citizens detained after their vessels entered Eritrean waters on November 7, 2024, due to severe weather. The crew faces charges of unauthorized entry.
Fuel vendors in Damascus are thriving in the post-Assad era, providing much-needed gasoline and diesel to Syrians after years of repression under the former regime. The shift has brought newfound freedom and relief from years of repression.
In Australia, 3 people have died after a light aircraft crashed near Rottnest Island on Wednesday. The plane was carrying 6 passengers and plunged into the sea shortly after takeoff.
Iran’s top security official, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, has arrived in Baku to bolster political and security ties with South Caucasus nations and discuss regional peace, with meetings planned with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
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