Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has 'one regret' as he announces resignation

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation as Liberal leader and prime minister outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday. (Image: AP)

Justin Trudeau, Canada's longest serving Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party, announced his resignation on Monday.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its new leader,” the 53-year-old leader told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.

Canada’s parliament will be suspended until March 24 while a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, he added.

Speaking to the reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau talked about his political journey, his administration's support for Ukraine, his policy for Covid-19 being his greatest achievement since he took office in 2015.

However, Trudeau added that he has “one regret” – failing to reform Canada’s election process, ahead of a general election expected this fall.

“If I have one regret, particularly as we approach this election…well, there are probably many regrets that I will think of, but I do wish that 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 so that parties would spend more time trying to be people’s second or third choices," he told reporters in Ottawa.

“People would have been looking for things they have in common instead of trying to polarise and divide Canadians against each other. I think in this time, figuring out how to pull together and find common ground remains something that is really important for democracies," he added.

The son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canada’s 15th prime minister, leaves office never having tasted electoral defeat.

“I am a fighter. Every bone in my body has told me to fight because I care deeply about Canadians and this country. I intend to resign as party leader and prime minister after the party elects its new leader," he said.

Trudeau, the leader of the liberal party for 11 years and prime minister for nine years, was facing revolt from his own party members - resignation of key allies and disastrous poll opinions, Donald Trump's tariff threats.

US President-elect Donald Trump mocked Trudeau and called for Canada to merge as the 51st sate of the United States - comments that most Canadians find deeply offensive.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland quit in December after disagreeing with Trudeau over how to respond to Trump’s apparent plan, in the first open dissent against the PM from within the cabinet.

“I thank Justin Trudeau for his years of service to Canada and Canadians. I wish him and his family the very best," Freeland wrote after Trudeau’s resignation announcement.

The process of selecting who will succeed Trudeau will begin think week, informed Sachit Mehra, president of Liberal Party. “We thank him for his service to Canada, and we look forward to his continued leadership until a new leader is chosen," Mehra said.