by External-Noise-4832
The Times – Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation after ten years as prime minister of Canada.
Trudeau, 53, said he was stepping down as leader of the ruling Liberal Party on Monday, before a general election later this year that he had been widely expected to lose. He will remain in office until a replacement is chosen.
Trudeau said he met Mary Simon, the Canadian governor-general, to prorogue parliament until March 24 to allow time for the party to select a new leader.
In a speech outside Rideau Cottage, his residence in Ottawa, he said he informed his family of the decision on Sunday night. “Our country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I am having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best choice in that election,” he said.
“As you all know, I’m a fighter,” he added. “I am not someone who backs away from a fight, particularly when a fight is as important as this one is. But I have always been driven by my love for Canada … and Canadians deserve a real choice in the next election.”
Trudeau had seen his popularity plummet after a series of crises, including rising inflation, the threat of blanket 25 per cent tariffs from Donald Trump’s administration and the resignation of several key members of his cabinet.
Reuters – The Canadian dollar rose to a near three-week high against its U.S. counterpart on Monday, as investors weighed the potential for Canada’s economy to escape broad-based U.S. tariffs and a report that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would resign.
The loonie was trading 0.7% higher at 1.4350 to the U.S. dollar, or 69.69 U.S. cents, after touching its strongest intraday level since Dec. 17 at 1.4280.
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