Canada PM Justin Trudeau Likely To Resign As Liberal Party Leader, Claim Reports

Toronto: At a time there are growing calls with his party for him to step aside, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to resign as the Liberal Party leader on Monday, according to reports, citing sources. What remains unclear is whether Trudeau will resign immediately or stay on as prime minister until his successor is selected. The Globe and Mail reported, citing sources. Meanwhile, some reports also claim that Justin Trudeau is expected to announce resignation as Prime Minister of Canada by Wednesday.

This comes at a time when polls show that Trudeau’s Liberal party will be defeated by the opposition Conservatives in the upcoming federal election. The polls are slated to be held in October. Recently, Chrystia Freeland quit as the country’s finance minister and deputy prime minister over Trudeau’s policies.

In 2013, Trudeau took over as Liberal Party leader. At that time the party was in deep trouble. The party then was reduced to third place in the House of Commons for the first time.

If Trudeau resigns there will be fresh calls for a quick election.

A source, quoted by The Globe and Mail, said Trudeau had discussed with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc whether he would be willing to take over as the prime minister. But if LeBlanc plans to be in the fray for the Liberal leadership, Trudeau’s plan may not be workable, the source added.

Possible leadership contenders are: Freeland, LeBlanc, former Canadian housing minister Sean Fraser, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Transport Minister Anita Anand, former central banker Mark Carney and former British Columbia premier Christy Clark, the report stated. The Atlantic, Ontario and Quebec caucuses have hinted that most of the leaders will not support Trudeau. These three regions have 131 of 153 seats that the Liberal Party has in the House of Commons.