Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he will step down in the coming months, bowing to an angry electorate at a time of uncertain economic outlook and political strife.
The announcement, which came amid a deadlocked parliament, left Canada in political flux as the incoming Trump administration vowed to impose punitive tariffs on Canadian imports.
“It’s time for a reset,” said Mr. Trudeau to reporters outside his residence on a freezing morning in Ottawa, the capital. Mr. Trudeau said he suspended parliament until March 24 and would remain Liberal Party leader and prime minister until his replacement is chosen through national party elections.
“I really feel that removing the controversy surrounding my continued leadership is an opportunity to turn the temperature down,” he said.
Mr. Trudeau, 53, who came to power nearly a decade ago and quickly became seen as a progressive icon, is the latest leader in the West to be swept away by an anti-incumbency mood, an anti-immigration backlash and anger over the lingering effects of the spike in inflation during the coronavirus pandemic. Although inflation in Canada has fallen below 2%, unemployment remains high at over 6%.
The general election must be held by October, a timetable that Mr. Tuesday on Monday.
“It’s clear to me with the infighting that I can’t be the one to carry the Liberal standard into the next election,” he said.
Mr. Trudeau has faced weeks of mounting pressure from within his own party.
In December, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Mr. Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland, abruptly resigned, criticizing his leadership and management of the country. Ms. Freeland, who has been a close ally of the Prime Minister, accused Mr. Trudeau that he had engaged in “costly political machinations” and that he was ill-prepared to face the challenge posed by President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Her resignation prompted a growing chorus of Liberal MPs calling for him to step down for the sake of the party and let someone else lead the party into the general election.
Mr. Trudeau has also come under pressure from a resurgent Conservative Party, which in recent polls has held a double-digit lead over the Liberal Party. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre posted a video on social media Monday promoting an alternative vision of governance: “raise the tax,” referring to Trudeau’s unpopular carbon tax, “build the homes,” “fix the budget” and “stop the crime.”
The turmoil comes as Canada debates how best to deal with Mr. Trump to impose tariffs that would upend a trade deal between Canada, the United States and Mexico. (Mr. Trump has also threatened tariffs on Mexico and says he wants both countries to deal with the flow of drugs and undocumented immigrants to the United States.)
Tariffs would be potentially devastating to Canada’s economy, which is heavily dependent on exports, particularly oil and automobiles. The United States and Canada are each other’s largest trading partners.
Mr. Trudeau visited Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his private Florida club and residence, in late November, and his administration held talks to address the president-elect’s concerns about border security in hopes that he would reconsider the tariff threat .
The talks do not appear to have been fruitful. At the beginning of December, Mr. Trump mocked Trudeau in a social media post, describing the Canadian prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.”
On Monday Mr. Trump responded to the resignation of Mr. Trudeau again suggested that Canada should become America’s “51st state,” saying on social media that if Canada were to merge with the U.S., taxes would be reduced and there would be no tariffs.
Among the possible replacements of Mr. Trudeau is Mrs. Freeland, former deputy prime minister and finance minister. Dominic LeBlanc, who became Minister of Finance when Mrs. Freeland. Mélanie Joly, Canada’s top diplomat from 2021; and Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada, who also led the Bank of England;
Mr. Trudeau, whose administration has been stymied by a lack of a majority in Parliament, said Monday that the legislature had been “totally consumed by obstruction, confusion and a complete lack of productivity.”
In his comments in French, he painted an even starker picture of a Parliament that “no longer works”.
Suspending parliament, a process known as adjournment, will give his party time to choose a new leader, which Mr. Trudeau said it would be done through a “robust, nationwide, competitive process.” A new – and perhaps more popular – leader could put the Liberals on firmer footing in the upcoming national election.
The suspension of Parliament eliminates all pending legislation, but does not affect the day-to-day operation of government.
Mr. Trudeau has spent a decade building a political brand around being a feminist, environmentalist and advocate for refugees and indigenous people, following the same message of change and hope as Barack Obama. But analysts say Mr. Trudeau, which seems contrary to that of Mr. Trump, it no longer works for him.
“He caught a wave on his way, and when you catch a wave, it can pick you up,” said Darrell Bricker, veteran pollster and managing director of Ipsos Public Affairs. “But on the other hand, if you don’t get off, it will ground you.”
An Ipsos poll, published in late December, found the Liberals trailing the Conservatives by 25 percentage points.
Although the next election must be held by October, a vote could be called or forced earlier.
Liberal government under a new prime minister could be short-lived. And shortly after the start of the new session, the Liberal government is likely to face a confidence vote. It would likely lose such a vote, as it holds only a minority of seats in Parliament and has lost the support of all other parties. This will lead to a federal election.
The prime minister also has the power to dissolve Parliament at any time, which would also trigger an election.
