Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered an emotional farewell speech to a conference of his Liberal Party on Sunday.
The Canadian leader served in his post for almost a decade, assuming the top job on 4 November, 2015.
Trudeau resigned from his post on 6 January after months of domestic problems which saw his popularity plummet. The declining economic conditions and the country’s direction resulted in dismal polls for Trudeau, who fell in popularity by a significant two digit margin to his main rival Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party.
Trudeau was also under growing pressure from his own party who lost confidence in him. Trudeau however decided to remain in power until his successor is named.
But all of that was forgotten in Sunday’s conference, as Trudeau spoke to a crowd who cheered and clapped for him, thanking him for his nine-year tenure.
The outgoing prime minister expressed his gratitude to his party and the Canadian people, saying he was “damn proud” of his time in office, which he said was filled with successes and great accomplishments.
Trudeau also warned the Liberal Party crowd that Canada needs them now more than ever, referencing the growing international crises that threaten to tear down the international rules-based order, and the growing uncertainty in the face of US President Donald Trump’s economic threat on the country.
The Liberal Party will announce a replacement for Trudeau on Sunday to lead the country until a general election is held this year.
Liberal Party members look set to pick former central bank governor Mark Carney as the new party leader and Canada’s next prime minister in a vote to be announced on Sunday evening.
Carney, 59, navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada and when in 2013 he became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. His appointment won bipartisan praise in the U.K. after Canada recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries.
A general election must be held on or before 20 October. Either the new Liberal party leader will call one, or the opposition parties in Parliament could force one with a no-confidence vote later this month.
Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.
