Blitz Bureau
JUSTIN Trudeau is ending his 11- year leadership role, nine years as Canada’s Prime Minister, that was marred by his confrontation with India.
He announced on January 6 at a news conference that he will step down as Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party, but will continue in office till a new leader is elected. The ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has “credible allegations” of India’s hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A major diplomatic row erupted when Canada labelled India’s High Commissioner and other diplomats as “persons of interest” in the investigation of Nijjar’s death. India denied all the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated”, accusing Ottawa of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in the country.
Trudeau was under heavy pressure from Liberal legislators to quit amid polls showing the party will be crushed at the next election. However, he will still be Prime Minister on January 20 when US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs that would cripple Canada’s economy.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau said. “This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” he added.
Trudeau, 53, took office in November 2015 and won re-election twice, becoming one of Canada’s longestserving prime ministers, said the news agency.
But his popularity started dipping two years ago amid public anger over high prices and a housing shortage, and his fortunes never recovered. Polls show the Liberals will badly lose to the official opposition Conservatives in an election that must be held by late October, regardless of who the leader is.
Trudeau had until recently been able to fend off Liberal legislators worried about the poor showing in polls and the loss of safe seats in two special elections last year. But calls for him to step aside have soared since last month, when he tried to demote Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, one of his closest cabinet allies, after she pushed back against his proposals for more spending. Freeland quit instead and penned a letter accusing Trudeau of “political gimmicks” rather than focusing on what was best for the country.
