Trudeau ‘to resign’ as Canadian PM after nine years in office

Justin Trudeau, Canadian prime minister, is expected to announce his resignation after nine years in office.

According to Globe and Mail, which first reported the matter, said Trudeau is expected to reveal plans to step down ahead of Wednesday’s party caucus meeting to dispel any impression that his MPs pressured him into leaving.

Reuters confirmed the report after speaking to a source familiar with Trudeau’s plans.

Trudeau’s planned resignation comes after an increasing number of Liberal parliamentarians, alarmed by a series of gloomy polls, have publicly urged him to quit.

However, the quoted sources said it was unclear whether Trudeau would leave immediately or stay as prime minister until a new leader was selected.

They added that he had yet to make a final decision on his future

The reported move comes ahead of a general election which analysts believe Trudeau is widely expected to lose.

The election must be held on or before October 20 but could be brought forward.

Trudeau, 53, took the Liberals to power in 2015, promising “sunny ways” for Canada.

Under his administration, the prime minister was vocal about combating climate change and addressing historic abuses against Indigenous peoples, but the latter years of his leadership have been tainted by rising economic discontent.

Trudeau was elected three times, most recently in 2021 when he remained in power but lost his governing majority.

The Conservative Party has since built a lead over the Liberal Party of more than 20 percent in national polling averages.