Monday could mark a historic week in Canadian politics if the growing chorus calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gets its way.
The Globe and Mail is reporting that Trudeau is expected to announce he is stepping down as Liberal party leader as early as Monday.
Trudeau has faced mounting calls for his resignation from MPs in his caucus as public opinion polls have continued to put the governing Liberals trailing far behind the Conservatives.
The Globe report says three sources, who weren’t authorized to speak about the matter publicly, did not know a specific timeline but they expected Trudeau would announce his plans before a national caucus meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
The Canadian Press has not independently confirmed the Globe report.
Over the weekend, Peter Fragiskatos became the latest Liberal MP to join those voices calling for Trudeau’s departure. He told the London Free Press his constituents are now overwhelmingly in favour of Trudeau stepping down.
On Dec. 29, a letter from the Atlantic Liberal caucus calling on Trudeau to resign as party leader was shared publicly by New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, who has been saying since the fall that Trudeau should step down.
The prime minister is set to face Liberal MPs at a caucus meeting on Wednesday.
On Sunday, back in Ottawa after a vacation over the holidays in British Columbia, Trudeau suggested he’s sticking to business-as-usual.
That’s despite the Liberal MPs calling for him to resign and three main opposition parties all saying they plan to bring down the government at the first opportunity, which could come before the end of the month.
In a post on X, Trudeau said the Liberal government has lowered child-care costs for nearly a million Canadians. “In 2025, we’re going to keep bringing those costs down. Let’s go,” he said late Sunday afternoon. A message from his office said Trudeau will participate in a virtual cabinet meeting discussing Canada-U.S. relations on Monday.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/all-eyes-in-ottawa-are-on-trudeau-s-political-future/article_c4693ad6-f1b4-54f0-9c10-fa0a4b0b8fa9.html