• Source:JND
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Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced his decision to step down, marking an end to his nine-year-old tenure. While speaking about his challenges as a Prime Minister, Trudeau said that he has many regrets, emphasising that if he could think of one, he regrets not being able to change how the government is elected in Canada.

The Liberal Party will now begin the process of selecting a new leader, with several potential candidates already being mentioned, including Anita Anand, Chrystia Freeland, and Mark Carney.

"If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election - well, probably many regrets that I will think of. But I do wish we'd been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so that people could simply choose a second choice, or a third choice on the same ballot," said Trudeau.

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Trudeau's resignation comes after a prolonged period of parliamentary paralysis, with the current session being the longest in Canadian history. He has advised the Governor General to prorogue the House until March 24, paving the way for a new session of Parliament.

He has been in office since 2015. While addressing the press on Monday, Trudeau expressed his gratitude to his family for their support throughout his career, but acknowledged that internal battles within the party have made it clear that he cannot continue to lead effectively. He also said that "the country deserves a real choice" and that he "cannot be the best option".

"I intend to resign as party leader, as Prime Minister after the party selects its next leader...Last night I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that I am having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," he said.

Trudeau's resignation marks a significant shift in Canadian politics, and it remains to be seen how the party and the country will respond to this change in leadership.

Meanwhile, the 2015 election is one for the history books as the Liberal Party under Trudeau entered the race with just 36 seats and was widely expected to remain on the sidelines. But due in part to the “sunny ways” campaign that Trudeau ran, along with his energy and likeability, the party breezed to a massive majority with 184 seats.

Trudeau also earned worldwide praise for appointing a cabinet that was gender-balanced, a policy he continued throughout his years in office.