Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will not be participating in the upcoming federal elections, which are set to take place in October this year. He made this announcement after mentioning last week that he would step down as Prime Minister once his Liberal Party picks a new leader. "In terms of my own decisions, I will not be running in the upcoming election," Trudeau said during a press conference in Ottawa.
Uncertainty about the future
Trudeau shared that he hasn't yet thought about his plans after leaving politics. "I honestly haven't had much time to think about that at all," he stated. "I am entirely focused on doing the job that Canadians elected me to do in an extraordinarily pivotal time right now." During his final days as Prime Minister, he met with Canada's premiers, the ambassador to the US, and federal ministers to discuss key issues, including the threat of tariffs from former President Donald Trump.
After being Prime Minister for more than nine years, Trudeau started facing more pressure to resign. This pressure came from both other political parties and people in his own party. The pressure grew stronger after his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, resigned. Trudeau said that he plans to step down as the leader of his party after a nationwide process where members will choose a new leader.
The process to select a new party leader has not yet begun, but several well-known Liberal members have expressed their intentions to run. Interested candidates must notify the party and make an initial payment by January 23. The new leader will be announced on March 9. Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland are expected to be strong candidates.
Trudeau’s role until March
Trudeau will remain Prime Minister until the leadership election is over in March. He will also serve as a member of Parliament until the next federal election, unless he decides not to contest and win.