This live blog is now closed. You can read more about Trudeau’s announcement here:
- Justin Trudeau announces plan to quit as Canada’s prime minister
- Trudeau promised ‘sunny ways’ but could not fulfil lofty ambitions
- Why is Canada’s Trudeau stepping down as prime minister?
Trudeau says he has one particular regret going into this next election, which is that he could have changed the way Canadians elect governments with the option of a second or third choice on the ballot.
Doing so would have meant that parties would have spent more time trying to be people’s second or third choices, he says:
People would have been looking for things they have in common, instead of trying to polarize and divide Canadians against each other.
Canadians deserve a real choice in the next election, and it has become obvious to me with the internal battles that I cannot be the one to carry the liberal standard into the next election.
