Canada’s Justin Trudeau says won’t contest October national elections

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday (January 15) that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming federal elections, scheduled for October but potentially to be held earlier.

“In terms of my own decisions, I will not be running in the upcoming election,” Trudeau said during a press conference in Ottawa. The announcement followed a meeting with Canada’s provincial premiers for coordinating a strategy to address the incoming US administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Trudeau, who turned 53 on December 25, expressed uncertainty about his future after leaving politics. “As to what I might be doing later, I honestly haven’t had much time to think about that at all. I am entirely focused on doing the job that Canadians elected me to do in an extraordinarily pivotal time right now,” he said.

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Trudeau, first elected to the House of Commons in 2008 from the Quebec riding of Papineau, has served as Prime Minister since October 2015. His Liberal Party won a majority mandate in his first election but failed to replicate that success in the 2019 and 2021 elections, which resulted in minority governments.

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The Liberal Party leadership election, set to conclude on March 9, will determine Trudeau’s successor as party leader and prime minister.

Candidates have until January 23 to enter the race, with former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland expected to be leading contenders.

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Carney is anticipated to announce his candidacy on Thursday in Edmonton, while Freeland may make her decision public by January 20.

While Indo-Canadian MP Chandra Arya has confirmed his candidacy for the leadership, other prominent Cabinet members— such as Mélanie Joly, Dominic LeBlanc, François-Philippe Champagne, and Anita Anand— have said they will not run, citing their current roles.

Backdrop: Trudeau’s resignation as PM

Trudeau’s announcement follows months of internal party unrest and a sharp decline in public support for the Liberals, who have polled at about 20 per cent— trailing the opposition Conservatives by nearly 25 points.

The situation worsened in December with the resignation of Freeland, who also served as finance minister, sparking calls from nearly 100 Liberal MPs for Trudeau to step down.

Trudeau will remain prime minister until the Liberal leadership election concludes in March and plans to serve as a member of Parliament until the next federal elections are held.

Trudeau will cease to be an MP in the new Parliament if he does not contest and win in the election.

With inputs from agencies