Justin Trudeau to resign as Canada's prime minister - what happens now?
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Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau will resign after leading the country for nine years. The 53-year-old has said he will quit as Liberal Party leader once his successor is chosen, after growing calls to step down from his MPs amid poor showings in opinion polls.
Announcing his decision on Monday, he said he "cannot be the best option" in the next election and that the parliament he is serving is "paralysed" under his leadership. What happens now?. Mr Trudeau said: "I intend to resign as party leader as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process.".
The Liberals must now name an interim leader to take over as prime minister ahead of a special leadership convention. That process could take months - but the pressure is on, because an election must be held in Canada by 20 October. Follow live: Justin Trudeau announces resignation.
As it stands, Mr Trudeau could still be in place when Donald Trump takes office in the US in two weeks - with the incoming president having threatened Canada with sweeping tariffs from his first day. A snap election could be triggered sooner than October should the Canadian parliament pass a no-confidence measure to bring down his government.
But in his news conference, Mr Trudeau said he had met Canada's governor general Mary Simon and asked her to prorogue parliament until 24 March, ending the current parliamentary session and giving his party time to find a new leader without the immediate threat of a no-confidence vote.
