Trudeau announces resignation as PM; Trump reacts by repeating call for Canada-US merger

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he will step down, succumbing to pressure from within his own Liberal Party and months ahead of an October deadline for the country’s next legislative elections.

Trudeau’s move ends nearly a decade in power, and marks a stark contrast to when he became prime minister in 2015, on a wave of enthusiasm that ended a period of similar length, during which Canada’s Conservative Party held sway. Polling indicates the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, is likely to defeat Trudeau’s successor.

Trudeau said that Canada’s Parliament would be prorogued until March 24 to allow time for his party to select a new leader, and that he would remain prime minister until that time.

“I have always been driven by my love for Canada, by my desire to serve Canadians, and by what is in the best interest of Canadians, and Canadians deserve a real choice in the next election,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.

“It has become obvious to me with the internal battles that I cannot be the one to carry the Liberal standard into the next election.”

The turn of events in Ottawa also appeared to be related to threats and taunts by US president-elect Donald Trump, and differences over how to respond. Trump’s comments, including a suggestion that Canada should become America’s 51st state, underscored how much the incoming administration in Washington is shaking up politics globally.