Trudeau’s declining popularitypublished at 2:45 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time

14:45 GMT

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from Toronto

image source, Reuters

Justin Trudeau’s apparent decision to resign – which has yet to be confirmed – marks an end to weeks of speculation about his political future as his popularity among his colleagues and the public has plummeted.

Trudeau, prime minister for nine years, has been under pressure from members of his own party to resign since the summer after the Liberals suffered a historic defeat to their Conservative rivals in a byelection in Toronto.

He also lagged behind in the polls. In December, only 22% of Canadians said they approved of his leadership, external – the lowest level since he came to power in 2015.

Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, is leading Trudeau by nearly 24 points in polls, signaling the possibility of a significant Liberal defeat in the next Canadian election.

While Canada has a multi-party system, only the Conservatives and Liberals have managed to form a government in the past.

Trudeau has previously indicated his intention to run as Liberal leader in Canada’s next election, to be held on or before October 20.

But pressure has mounted on the prime minister from within his own party to step down following the resignation of his top cabinet minister, Chrystia Freeland, in December due to a rift between her and Trudeau.

“He’s delusional if he thinks we can carry on like this,” New Brunswick MP Wayne Long told reporters before the Christmas recess.