Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a plan to step down once his Liberal Party chooses a new leader. He will leave amid low approval ratings and a mixed legacy after nearly a decade in office.
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00:00After nearly a decade as Canada's prime minister and almost 12 years as leader of the country's
00:07Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau says he's stepping down.
00:10I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next
00:18leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process.
00:25Trudeau, the son of a former prime minister, came into office in 2015, promising progressive
00:31change and a more inclusive government.
00:34His foreign policy included strong support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's
00:38full-scale invasion, providing military and humanitarian aid to Kyiv.
00:43Trudeau managed tense relations with some countries, like China, which imprisoned two
00:47Canadian citizens in 2018 after his government arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou over
00:53financial crimes in the U.S.
00:56All three were later released.
00:58In another incident, he called out Beijing, saying it had interfered in recent Canadian
01:02elections.
01:04After a meeting about the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping was leaked, Xi confronted
01:08Trudeau about it in public.
01:24We will continue to work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on.
01:34Relations with India also worsened under Trudeau, after a Sikh activist and Canadian citizen
01:40was shot and killed in British Columbia, in what Trudeau says is part of India's program
01:45of transnational repression.
01:48At home in Canada, a sluggish economy and internal party battles have left Trudeau and
01:53his party deeply unpopular.
01:55The most likely candidate to replace him is Conservative Party leader Pierre Poulliève,
02:00whose party is leading by large margins in recent polls.
02:04Poulliève has criticized Trudeau's policies for harming the economy, here referring to
02:09an unofficial coalition between the Liberals and the leftist New Democratic Party, or NDP.
02:15We need a carbon tax election now to choose between the NDP-Liberal costly coalition or
02:22common-sense Conservatives who will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop
02:27the crime.
02:28Canada's parliament has effectively been suspended until late March, meaning an election
02:33will come no sooner than May.
02:36That means Trudeau will likely face yet another challenge while still in office, the terrorists
02:41threatened by incoming US President Donald Trump.
02:44Trudeau's exit will mark the end of a political era in Canada, the nation still facing major
02:49global challenges and divided on his legacy.
02:53Alex Chun and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.