Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation as the Liberal Party Leader as early as Monday (Jan 6), reports suggest.

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Citing three sources, The Globe and Mail reported on Sunday (Jan 5) that the embattled Canadian leader will announce his plans to leave the party leadership before a key national caucus meeting on Wednesday.

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Will Trudeau resign as the PM or stay for some more time?

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As per Reuters news agency, it is not yet clear whether Trudeau would immediately resign as Canada's PM or stay on till a replacement is selected.

Trudeau's office is yet to officially issue a statement accepting or denying the reports.

However, reports suggest that the Canadian prime minster has had a word with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc on whether the latter would be willing to step in as the interim leader and prime minister. 

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Rise and fall of Trudeau

Justin Trudeau took over as the Liberal Party leader in 2013, when the party was in deep trouble, reduced to third place in the House of Commons for the first time. 

Sweeping to power in 2015, he helped the Liberals win in 2019 and 2021. 

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However, his popularity has plummeted in recent times, with his government narrowly surviving a series of no-confidence votes amid calls for his resignation.

Trudeau's popularity took another major hit with US president-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods.

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His leadership faced a major challenge last December when Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland quit in the first open dissent against Trudeau from within his cabinet.

Freeland's resignation came after a disagreement over how to respond to Trump's tariff threats.

(With inputs from agencies)