Trudeau says his last day as PM will be ‘up to a conversation’ with new Liberal leader

Justin Trudeau says his last official day as prime minister has yet to be determined and will be a conversation between him and the new Liberal leader.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says while the Liberal party will be naming its new leader on Sunday, his last official day leading this country has yet to be determined.

“That will be up to a conversation between the new leader and myself to figure out how long a transition is needed,” Trudeau said Tuesday during his press conference announcing retaliatory tariffs on the U.S.

“It should happen reasonably quickly. But there’s a lot of things to do in a transition like this, particularly at this complicated time,” Trudeau said.

When he announced his resignation on Jan. 6 – citing “internal battles” that would hinder his party’s chances in the next election – Trudeau said he intended to stay on as both prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, until his replacement was selected.

After a condensed leadership race, the Liberal party will be announcing the winner at an event in the nation’s capital this Sunday.

Running to replace Trudeau are former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, former cabinet minister Karina Gould, and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.

The expectation is that whoever wins will become the new leader of the party effective immediately, though in order to take on the title of prime minister, the person selected will need to be sworn-in.

Parliament is prorogued until March 24, and speculation is running rampant that a federal election could be called before it is recalled, so it remains to be seen how long the next Liberal leader could be prime minister, before going to the polls.

With files from CTV News’ Rachel Hanes