# Resignation of Justin Trudeau

The resignation of Justin Trudeau separately as the prime minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party was announced on January 6, 2025, given at a press conference by Justin Trudeau at his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. Trudeau, who was appointed prime minister in 2015, had been facing a heavy decline in public opinion polling and had been gradually losing the confidence of the House of Commons and Liberal Party members leading up to the 2025 federal election.
A month before announcing his pending resignation, Trudeau had the second-lowest approval rating in Canadian history. He is the ninth prime minister in Canadian history to announce his pending resignation not as a result of losing an election. Despite resigning, Trudeau says that he will stay on as prime minister until a new leader is elected.

## Background
### Minority government

Trudeau entered government with a majority government in 2015 but was reduced to a minority government in the 2019 election, which was re-elected again in 2021, the latter being a snap election in which Trudeau attempted, but failed, to regain his majority. A confidence and supply agreement with the opposition New Democratic Party helped sustain the minority government from March 2022 until the NDP withdrew from the agreement in September 2024. Continuation of the minority government depended on support from at least one opposition party, plus a united Liberal caucus, in each confidence vote in the House of Commons.

### Decline in opinion polling

Since 2023, the Liberal Party had seen a steady decline in public support. On December 3, 2023, Abacus Data reported that the Liberal Party vote intent fell to 23 percent. On December 24, the Angus Reid Institute reported that the Liberal Party vote intent was at 16 percent; this would put the Liberals in third place, behind the Conservatives and the New Democrats.338 Canada began projecting the Liberals would only win 35 seats, third place behind the Bloc Québécois.

### Caucus challenge

In October 2024, it was reported that a group of Liberal MPs had signed a letter calling for Trudeau to resign. The group planned to confront him about his leadership during the next weekly Liberal caucus meeting. On October 23, 2024, it was revealed that the letter had been signed by 24 MPs calling for Trudeau to resign as party leader and that it was read aloud by Patrick Weiler during the caucus meeting. Trudeau responded by saying that he would take time to reflect on their criticisms of his leadership and consider his options. In a press conference less than 24 hours later, Trudeau stated he was staying on as leader.

### Resignation of Chrystia Freeland

In early December 2024, reports had begun to circulate about a rift between the prime minister and Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, with Freeland opposing Trudeau's recent promise of $250 cheques to working Canadians who earned CA$150,000 or less in 2023. Due to a dispute over how many Canadians should receive the cheques, the measure did not receive support from any other political party and could not move forward.
On December 13, 2024, Trudeau had a call with Freeland in which he revealed that he would be shuffling her out of the minister of finance portfolio for a minister without portfolio position focusing on Canada–United States relations, also indicating he wanted to replace her with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney during a potential cabinet shuffle that week. On December 16, the day Freeland was expected to deliver the 2024 Fall Economic Statement, she unexpectedly announced her resignation from the Cabinet. In her letter, Freeland implicitly referred to the $250 cheque proposal as a "costly political gimmick" and argued that the Canadian government should "[keep] our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war." The 2024 Fall Economic Statement was released at 4:11 pm EST that same day, and was presented in the House of Commons by Government House Leader Karina Gould. The statement showed a deficit of CA$61.9 billion for 2023–24, exceeding Freeland's target of CA$40.1 billion or less, and left Trump's tariff threats largely unaddressed.
Shortly after the resignation of Chrystia Freeland, a growing number of Liberal Party members began to publicly call for Trudeau's resignation. On December 21, at a meeting of the Ontario Liberal caucus, more than 50 Liberal MPs came to a consensus that Trudeau needed to step down as party leader. On December 23, the Atlantic Liberal caucus came to the same conclusion after their meeting. By December 31, the Quebec Liberal caucus chair, Stéphane Lauzon, announced that after consulting with MPs individually over the holidays, the caucus reached the same position.
On January 5, 2025, The Globe and Mail was the first news outlet to report that Trudeau was expected to announce his resignation as party leader before the national caucus meeting on January 8. One source indicated that he had discussed with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc whether he would be willing to step in as interim leader and prime minister. They added that this would be unworkable if LeBlanc plans to run for the leadership.

## Pending resignation announced

On January 6, in a speech at Rideau Cottage, Trudeau officially announced his intention to resign as leader of the Liberal Party and afterward prime minister. Trudeau said that he would not be able to effectively campaign in the 2025 federal election if he was facing internal party dissent, and that he had told his children about his decision the previous day. Trudeau also announced that Governor General Mary Simon would be proroguing Parliament until March 24, 2025, and the commencement of the Liberal Party leadership election that will choose his successor. He added that "as you all know, I'm a fighter. Every bone in my body has always told me to fight because I care deeply about Canadians, I care deeply about this country, and I will always be motivated by what is in the best interest of Canadians", and that "a new prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party will carry its values and ideals into the next election".
In his resignation speech, Trudeau expressed pride in his government's achievements, including his support for Ukraine during the ongoing conflict and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also highlighted his fight for the country and his inspiration from the resilience and determination of Canadians. Despite his resignation, Trudeau emphasized the critical moment the world is facing and his confidence in Canada's ability to navigate through it. Trudeau will remain in office until the Liberal Party elects a new leader.

## Reactions

Official opposition leader Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party emphasized his calls for an early federal election, stating that Liberal MPs "want to protect their pensions and paycheques by sweeping their hated leader under the rug months before an election to trick you, and then do it all over again." NDP leader Jagmeet Singh stated that "The problem is not just Justin Trudeau. It's every minister that's been calling the shots, it's every Liberal MP that looked down their nose at Canadians who are worried about high costs or crumbling health care."