Canada’s Trudeau set to speak as calls for his resignation grow

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to hold a news conference on Monday, with a senior government official telling AFP that the embattled leader has decided to resign. Trudeau, facing his most severe political crisis since taking office in 2015, will speak to reporters at 10:45 a.m. (1545 GMT). According to the source, Trudeau has made the decision to step down, though the exact timeline is unclear. “It’s a done deal that he’s leaving. It’s now just a matter of how,” the official said. Trudeau may announce his resignation as leader of the governing Liberal Party but remain as caretaker prime minister until the party selects a new leader, which could take months. The new leader would then need to strengthen the party’s position ahead of a general election scheduled for this year. Trudeau’s Liberals are significantly trailing the opposition Conservatives in the polls and narrowly survived three non-confidence votes in parliament last year. The plunge in Trudeau’s political fortunes followed the surprise resignation of his former finance minister and deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, in December. In her harsh resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of prioritizing political gimmicks, like a costly Christmas tax holiday, to win voters over, rather than focusing on stabilizing Canada’s finances in anticipation of a potential trade war with the United States. Incoming US president Donald Trump has pledged to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports, a move that could severely damage Canada’s economy.