Canada's Liberal Party will select its next leader on March 9 after Justin Trudeau’s resignation. The race sees Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland as front-runners amid political uncertainty.

C anadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is stepping down as the leader of the ruling Liberal Party, following months of pressure from partymates to resign amid increasingly poor public approval ratings.

By suspending Parliament and promising to resign, the prime minister bought the Liberals time. But Canada will now face Donald J. Trump with a lame duck in charge.

OTTAWA--Canada's Liberal Party said its members will pick a new leader to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 9, setting the stage for an eight-week campaign that's likely to be shortly followed by a general election.

Justin Trudeau, who has led the country for nearly a decade, is giving up leadership of the Liberal party. He said he would remain in both roles until his replacement had been chosen through a party election.

Justin Trudeau's leadership has faced significant challenges in the wake of the COVID crisis, leading to a loss of confidence among Canadians from various backgrounds.

This country deserves a real choice in the next election,” Mr Trudeau said. “It has become clear to me that if I am having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.” He joins a growing list of progressive leaders done in by their failure to address the anxieties of ordinary voters,

The front runners for the Liberal leadership are former central banker Mark Carney and ex-Finance Minster Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month forced Trudeau's exit.

Canada's ruling Liberal Party is looking for a new leader to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced on Monday he intended to step down.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Friday announced she would not run in the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying she wanted to focus on the threat posed by potential U.S. tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans to resign after calls increased for his ouster over his handling of economic policies.