Justin Trudeau announces his resignation after 9 years as Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau has held a press conference amid claims he is resigning as leader of the governing Liberal Party and stepping down as Canadian Prime Minister after nine years.

Justin Trudeau held a press conference on Monday. Credit: Buda Mendes/Getty Images for Global Citizen

Taking the podium he told the waiting reporters: "So I thought it would be fun to do this again..." before launching his speech.

Trudeau revealed that he had had extensive decisions with his family and will be resigning as leader after the party selects its next leader.

He added that he will always be motivated by what is in the best interest for Canadians and that the house will now be prorogued until March.

Media reports had suggested his resignation was imminent after his finance minister Chrystia Freeland quit last month, citing policy disagreements such as how to deal with Donald Trump's threat to levy US tariffs on Canadian goods.

Polls have also suggested that Trudeau's popularity with voters is waning, and that his party may be on course for defeat in the general election later this year.

According to reports, Trudeau was expected to announce his intention to quit before the party's national caucus meets on Wednesday.

It is said that he made the decision to avoid the perception that he was forced out by his own MPs.

Trudeau has been Prime Minister of Canada for the past nine years. Credit: Harry How/Getty Images

Trudeau's successor will have to lead the party through the next election campaign as well as navigating trade relations with the US.

The upcoming election has to take place before October, but there could be calls for a snap election following a change in leadership of the Liberal Party.

Trudeau's time as Prime Minister came after he swept the 2015 election, taking his party from third place to the leadership.

Then aged 43, Trudeau had promised a fresh outlook for the country, with an open immigration policy, tax increases for the wealthy, and a hard line on climate change.

However, his popularity among voters has seemingly decreased over the resulting years, partly dogged by the ongoing cost of living crisis as well as his style of governing.

Many Liberal MPs in Quebec, Ontario, and Atlantic Canadian provinces have called for him to step down, per the BBC, and polls suggest two-thirds of voters would not be choosing him on their ballot slips.

A September Ipsos survey said that just 26 percent. of respondents were planning to vote for him, placing him 19 points behind Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has surged in popularity in the polls. Credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Only two past prime ministers have ever served a fourth consecutive term, meaning Trudeau's reelection would also be unlikely.

Poilievre, 45, became his party's leader in 2022, having promised to reduce taxes, tackle inflation, and protect individual liberties.

He also vocally supported the Freedom Convoy truckers protesting about Covid mandates, whose blockade brought several cities to a standstill.

The next Prime Minister will have to face negotiations with President elect Donald Trump over the threat of a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if the country does not secure its shared border against migrants and illegal drugs.

This "grave challenge" was referenced in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's resignation letter, after she stepped down just hours before she was due to deliver her annual budget.

She had claimed Trudeau had informed her he no longer wanted her to be his government's top economic adviser.

Featured image credit: Buda Mendes/Getty Images for Global Citizen