Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will resign. He said this at a news conference on Monday, with a senior government source telling AFP the embattled premier had decided to leave office.
Trudeau, facing his worst political crisis since becoming premier in 2015, is scheduled to address reporters at 10:45 am (1545 GMT).
The government source told AFP that Trudeau had decided to step down, but the timeline remained uncertain.
Trudeau’s political fortunes plunged to new depths following the surprise resignation in December of his former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland.
In a scathing resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of focusing on political gimmicks to appease voters, including a costly Christmas tax holiday, instead of steadying Canada’s finances ahead of a possible trade war with the United States.
Incoming US president Donald Trump has promised to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports, a measure that could prove devastating to Canada’s economy.
