Justin Trudeau is expected to resign as Liberal leader Monday morning. The prime minister is expected to address reporters at 10:45 a.m. from Rideau Cottage, where he lives. It will be his first press conference since his former deputy, Chrystia Freeland, abruptly resigned last month triggering a cabinet shuffle and caucus revolt.
Multiple reports suggest Trudeau intends to stay on as prime minister until a new leader is named but details about succession are still unclear.
The Liberal Party of Canada sent out an email to its caucus members for an “informational” caucus meeting over Zoom to discuss “the Liberal Party of Canada Constitution and how it relates to caucus.” The meeting is set for 2 p.m. EST.
The Globe and Mail was the first to report that Trudeau was expected to step down before the national Liberal caucus was set to meet for a six-hour-long session Wednesday.
This comes as Trudeau has trailed behind the Conservatives in the polls, often by 20 points for months, despite moves to buy back voters, such as a GST / HST tax holiday and $200 handouts.
The leaders of all three major opposition parties have vowed to vote non-confidence in the Liberals in the next parliamentary sitting, reconvenes Jan. 27, regardless of who is leading the party.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh finally announced last month he would take down the government, although one of his members of Parliament, Charlie Angus, has signalled he will not vote alongside his party on this.
The Bloc Quebecois announced it was committed to pushing for an early election in October after the Liberal government failed to meet an ultimatum set by its leader Yves-Francois Blanchet.
The Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilieve, have said they are election-ready for months, calling for a “carbon tax election” to let Canadians decide who should lead them.
The election date is currently scheduled for October.
