Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau announces resignation

Our live coverage of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement has ended. You can read more about his decision here.

Canada's Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a press conference in Ottawa, Ontario, on December 16, 2024.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday told reporters that opposition leader Pierre Poilievre’s vision for the country “doesn’t make sense.”

“His vision for this country is not the right one for Canadians. Stopping the fight against climate change doesn’t make sense,” Trudeau said in a news conference in Ottawa. “We need an ambitious, optimistic view of the future. And Pierre Poilievre is not offering that.”

Trudeau’s comments came as announced his decision to step down as leader of the ruling Liberal party following a series of political crises. The party is widely expected to lose a general election later this year to the opposition Conservative Party, helmed by right-wing firebrand Poilievre.

Reacting to Trudeau’s resignation on Monday, Poilievre pushed his agenda of reducing taxes and enforcing strict controls on immigration — during what he called a “dark chapter in our history.”

“Canadians can take back control of their lives and their country,” he said in a video post on X. “Take back control of our border. Take back control of immigration. Take back control of spending, deficits and inflation.

“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 has built a steady lead over the ruling Liberal party in national polling averages while earning support from other populist figures abroad — including X owner Elon Musk, who played a key role in US President Donald Trump’s election campaign.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Canada, on January 6

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he “fought for this country” over his nearly 10-year premiership, after he announced his resignation as the ruling Liberal party leader.

“Every morning I’ve woken up as prime minister, I have been inspired by the resilience, generosity and the determination of Canadians,” he told journalists on Monday. “I have fought for this country, for you.”

Trudeau listed his administration’s support for Ukraine and his policy during the Covid-19 pandemic, as being among his greatest achievements since he took power in 2015.

“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 added. “We are at a critical moment in the world.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the press outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Canada, on January 6.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he has “one regret” as he announced he intends to resign — and that is the country’s election process.

“If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election — well, probably many regrets that I will think of,” Trudeau said. “But I do wish we’d been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so that people could simply choose a second choice, or a third choice on the same ballot.”

Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau has said that the country’s parliament will be suspended until March 24 while a new leader is chosen.

“Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history,” he said.

“This morning, I advised the Governor General that we need a new session of parliament. She has granted this request, and the House will now be prorogued until March 24.”

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes an announcement outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Canada, on January 6.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation as leader of the ruling Liberal Party.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its new leader,” the 53-year-old told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa on Monday.

Trudeau will remain prime minister in a caretaker capacity until a new leader is chosen.

This post has been updated with additional information from Trudeau’s announcement.

Canada's Prime Minister and Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau delivers his victory speech with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, daughter Ella-Grace and son Xavier at election headquarters on September 20, 2021 in Montreal, Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation imminently, a source close to the leader told CNN on Monday.

The first child of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Trudeau seems poised to follow in his father’s footsteps, forty years after the elder Trudeau stepped down as prime minister of Canada.

Trudeau first entered the political scene in 2008, when he was elected a member of Parliament, and then as leader of the Liberal Party five years later.

In 2015, he claimed the premiership after he campaigned on an anti-Conservative platform and won a clear majority in the October elections, seeing off his predecessor, Stephen Harper.

One of the country’s youngest-ever leaders, Trudeau ascended to popularity by pushing progressive values on the global stage, branding himself as an antidote to former President Donald Trump. He won successive elections in 2019 and 2021.

But his early rise has steadily declined after a series of political setbacks — including accusations of racism after old photographs surfaced of him using blackface and anger over vaccine mandates during the coronavirus pandemic.

He has since slumped in the polls – after incoming US President Trump unleashed a flurry of tariff threats, and the subsequent surprise resignation of his former political ally and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to speak at a news conference at 10:45 a.m. ET.

Trudeau is expected to announce that he will resign as leader of the ruling Liberal party, a source close to the prime minister told CNN, but it’s expected he’ll remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on during a press conference in Montreal, Canada, on September 26

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce he will step down as leader of the ruling Liberal Party on Monday, but remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen, a source close to the PM told CNN.

Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party for 11 years and prime minister for nine, was facing a mounting set of crises, from Donald Trump’s tariff threats to the resignation of key allies and disastrous opinion polls. His resignation would be seen as the PM choosing to jump before he is pushed, ahead of a general election to be held later this year that he is widely expected to lose.

The move would leave the Liberal Party without a permanent leader before the general election, where polls show it is set to badly lose to the opposition Conservative Party, led by the firebrand Pierre Poilievre. The election must be held on or before October 20, but could be brought forward.

The Liberal Party national executive, which controls leadership issues, is scheduled to meet this week, likely after the caucus.

Trudeau was elected three times, most recently in 2021, when he remained in power but lost his governing majority. Since then, the Conservative Party, led by the firebrand Pierre Poilievre, has built a lead over the Liberal Party of more than 20% in national polling averages.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will resign as leader of the ruling Liberal party on Monday, but remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen, a source close to the prime minister told CNN.

Trudeau is expected to make the announcement at a news conference scheduled for 10:45 a.m. ET on Monday.