Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada on or before Jan. 8, Canada's Globe and Mail reported on Jan. 5, citing three unnamed sources.
It remains unclear if Trudeau will remain as prime minister on an interim basis as a new Liberal Party leader is selected, or whether he will step down immediately.
Trudeau, who has faced slumping poll numbers over the past year, has faced increased pressure from Liberal Members of Parliament to resign following the abrupt resignation of Trudeau's finance minister, Chrystia Freeland.
Freeland, who also served as deputy prime minister, resigned from the ministerial post on Dec. 16 after she was told by Trudeau that she would be replaced imminently. The decision drew heavy criticism from government MPs, with dozens of his parliamentary caucus members calling for his resignation.
Trudeau, who has served as prime minister since 2015, is expected to resign ahead of his party's national caucus meeting on Wednesday, and may do so as early as Jan. 6, the Globe and Mail reported.
Trudeau, who holds a minority government in Canada's parliament, lost a key partner in propping up the Liberal government in September, with the announcement by New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh that he would "rip up" a supply and confidence agreement with the government.
Canada's next federal election is scheduled for October 2025, but will likely occur in the next few months as opposition parties have vowed to vote "no confidence" in the government during the next sitting of parliament which is scheduled to begin Jan. 27. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has consistently polled far ahead of Trudeau in public opinion polls and would likely win a majority government if an election were held today.
Canada, under Trudeau, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine providing 19.5 billion Canadian dollars ($13.5 billion) in assistance for Ukraine, including 4.5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.1 billion) in military aid.
Freeland, who is of Ukrainian background and fluent in Ukrainian, served as the government's most vocal supporter of Ukraine. Previous to her career in politics, Freeland served as Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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