Embattled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he is resigning after nearly a decade in office following mounting calls for him to step down.
The 53-year-old said he plans to stay on in his post until his ruling lefty Liberal Party chooses a replacement.
The move comes after an embattled Trudeau was hit with a barrage of calls to quit in recent weeks in the wake of a slew of alarming polls indicating dwindling support.
Grim polling has shown that his party would badly lose to the opposing Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilevre, in an election that had to be held by late October.
Trudeau, who has been in power since 2015, has seen his popularity plummet in recent years over a range of issues, including spending and the soaring cost of food and housing.
Calls for him to step down also gained momentum after his then-finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, abruptly quit last month.
Her shock resignation came after Trudeau tried to demote her when she pushed back against his proposals for more spending.
Freeland penned a scathing letter accusing Trudeau of “political gimmicks” rather than focusing on what was best for Canada’s economy.
The political upheaval comes, too, as a Donald Trump presidency — and the threat of 25% tariffs on all products from north of the border — looms large.
Trump, who has consistently needled the Canadian PM since winning the US election, has threatened to impose the tariffs on all Canadian products if Canada doesn’t stem what the president-elect calls a flow of migrants and drugs across the border.
Trudeau, the son of former Canadian PM Pierre Trudeau, took over as the lefty leader back in 2013 when the party was in deep trouble and was reduced to third place in the House of Commons for the first time in history.
He then propelled the Liberals to power in 2015 with the promise of “sunny ways” and a progressive agenda pushing women’s rights and a fight against climate change.
Trudeau went on to win reelection twice — becoming one of Canada’s longest-serving prime ministers.
With Post wires
New York Post
