Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says in addition to not leading the Liberals into the next election, he will not be seeking his seat in the Quebec riding of Papineau.
“In terms of my own decisions, I will not be running in the upcoming election,” Trudeau told reporters during a press conference alongside Canada’s premiers.
“As to what I might be doing later, I honestly haven’t had much time to think about that at all, I am entirely focused on doing the job that Canadians elected me to do in an extraordinarily pivotal time right now.”
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The remarks come slightly more than a week after Trudeau announced he would resign from his leadership and as prime minister once the party chooses a new leader, which the Liberals announced last Thursday would take place March 9.
His resignation on Jan. 6 came less than a month after Chrystia Freeland resigned as finance minister and deputy prime minister, which spurred renewed calls from MPs and the Liberals for him to step down from his role.
The comment indicates Trudeau will remain as a member of Parliament after resigning as prime minister and Liberal Party leader until such time as an election is called.
Once the writs are issued, he would cease to be the MP of Papineau.
Trudeau was first elected as MP for the riding in 2008.
