Justin Trudeau’s decision to resign as prime minister has jolted his ailing Liberal party, kicking off a leadership race that could determine the future – or the demise – of Canada’s “natural governing party”.
On a frigid Monday morning, Trudeau said that while “every bone in my body tells me to fight”, a procedural standstill in parliament, as well as his dismal polling numbers, meant there was no path forward to contest a fourth term as leader.
His decision to step away from a job he has held for nearly a decade comes as the party’s political fortunes are in freefall, suffering the loss of key political strongholds in recent byelections and the abdication of prominent cabinet ministers.
