Justin Trudeau resigns as Prime Minister and Liberal Leader

After facing a barrage of skepticism and infighting regarding his leadership, Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation as Liberal Leader and Prime Minister.

He has also arranged for the prorogation of parliament until March 24th, which will end the current parliamentary session that was scheduled resume on January 27th. It will also kill all bills that are currently on the table and have yet to be passed, including any measures promised on Trudeau’s economic statement.

In the coming weeks, the Liberal Party will select a new leader, and the next parliamentary session will begin with a Speech from the Throne and a confidence vote. This could trigger an early federal election if the three main opposition parties vote non-confidence.

At Rideau Cottage in Ottawa this morning, Trudeau was asked by reporters if he thinks his decision to prorogue parliament is undemocratic, as it doesn’t allow parliament to express its lack of confidence in the Liberal government.

He replied by saying parliament needs to “calm down a bit,” as it has been overwhelmed with filibustering, obstruction, and a lack of productivity over the past few months.

“The reset that we have is actually two parts. One is the prorogation, but the other part is recognizing that removing me from the equation as the leader who will fight the next election for the Liberal Party should also decrease the level of polarization that we’re seeing right now in the House and in Canadian politics.”

He assures that as the Liberal Party goes through the leadership process, the government and the cabinet will still be focused on “fighting for Canadians’ interests, stand up for their wellbeing, and make sure that Canadian’s are protected and strong.”

Trudeau says if he has one regret about his term as Prime Minister, he wishes his party had been able to change the election process so that voters could mark a second and third choice on the same ballot.

“People would have been looking for things they have in common instead of trying to polarize and divide Canadians against each other.”