Justin Trudeau resigns as Canadian prime minister

Justin Trudeau has resigned as the leader of Canada’s governing party after nearly a decade as prime minister.

Trudeau says in a news conference in Ottawa that he will stay on as PM until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen.

“This country deserves a real choice” at the next election, he says, announcing that parliament will be prorogued until 24 March.

Trudeau had been under growing pressure from within his party and elsewhere to step down.

Trudeau says he had really hoped his long-time ally Chrystia Freeland would continue as finance minister and deputy prime minister, but “she chose otherwise.”

As for what happened when she resigned just weeks ago, he says: “I’m not someone who is in the habit of sharing private conversations.”

As a reminder, Freeland quit suddenly in mid-December, increasing the pressure on Trudeau’s leadership.

SOURCE: BBC