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In an unexpected turn, Justin Trudeau was forced to resign as Canada’s Prime Minister off the top of his head as the wind blew away his notes for a speech seconds before the announcement on Monday.
A video of his notes flying away from the podium outside his Ottawa residence moments before Trudeau arrived for his speech is going viral on social media.
Several people, probably journalists, can be heard saying, “Oooh! Grab it!! Uh Oh” in the video as they see the notes flying.
The last of Trudeau's notes flew right in front of him as he stood on the podium, ready for his big announcement.
Justin Trudeau chuckled as he watched those notes fly and said, “I’ll wing it!”
Trudeau, the longest-serving leader of any Group of Seven country, resigned after over nine years as Canada’s prime minister, bowing to dreadful polls and a rebellion within his governing Liberal party.
Justin Trudeau will remain Canada's prime minister until a new leader is selected — probably sometime in March. The Canadian Parliament has been suspended until March 24.
In his impromptu speech, the 53-year-old leader said he is unable to unite the Liberals going into the next election, so he is stepping down.
“I am not someone who backs away from a fight,” Trudeau said. “But I have always been driven by my love for Canada, by my desire to serve Canadians and by what is in the best interest of Canadians.”
“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,” he added.
Trudeau’s political future has been shaky for months, as he proved unable to reverse a slide in his party’s fortunes that accelerated after an inflation shock, and the resulting jump in interest rates, took a toll on Canadian households. Support from his caucus of about 150 lawmakers has melted away in recent weeks.
(With Bloomberg inputs)
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