his residence in ottawa. this is about 30 minutes.

justin trudeau: i have fought for this country, for you, to strengthen and grow the middle class, why we rallied to support each other through the parn, to advance reconciliation, to defend free trade on this continent, stand strong with ukraine and our democracy and fight climate change and get our economy ready for the future. we are at a critical moment in the world. [speaking french] >> every morning i have woken up as prime minister, i have been inspired by the resiliency and generosity and determination that characterizees canadians. this is what has driven me on a daily pi basis. and privilege to be prime minister. this is why since 2015 i have fought for this country for you, canadians, to strengthen the middle class. that's why canadians mobilized to support each other during the pandemic, to move reconciliation alford to defend free trade on our continent and to support ukraine and democracy and to fight against climate change as well and to prepare the economy for the future. we are really going through a critical time in world history. as you all know i'm a fighter, every bone in my body has always told me to fight because i care deeply about canadians. i care deeply about this country. and i will always be motivated by what is in the best interests of canadians. and the fact is, despite best

efforts to work through it, parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in canadian history. that's why this morning, i advised the governor general that we need a new session of parliament. she has granted this request and the house will now be furloughed until march 24. over the holidays, i also had a chance to reflect and had long talks with my family about our future. throughout the course of my career, any successive personally achieved has been because of their support and with their encouragement. last night over dinner, i told my kids about the decision that i am sharing with you today.

i intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process. last night, i asked the president of the labour party to begin that process. this country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if i am having to fight internal battles, i cannot be the best option in that election. [speaking french] i have always been a fighter. i have always been a fighter because i really care for giving canada and canadians and always being driven of what is in the best interests of canadians as well. despite our best efforts to get through the parliamentary impasse, parliament has been paralyzed for months after the longest minority parliament in the history of our country, this is why this morning i met with the governor general to tell her that we need a new parliamentary session and she granted that request and the house will there be furloughed until the 24 of march. during christmas, i had time to

think and have long conversations with my family about our future. throughout my career, all success i have had personally has been due to their support and encouragement. so yes, at dinner, i shared with my children the decision that i am sharing with you today. i intend to resign as leader of the liberal party of canada and prime minister of canada once the party will have chosen its next leader after a national , competitive and robust process. yesterday evening, i asked the president of the liberal party to take the necessary steps. the country deserves a clear choice in the next election. and it has become obvious for me

that if i am focused on internal fights, i can't be the best option for that election. the liberal party of canada is an important institution in the history of our great country and of our democracy as well. a new prime minister and leader of the liberal party will carry the values and the ideas of the liberal party into the next election. i am looking forward to that process in the coming months. we were elected for the third time in 2021 to strengthen the economy after the pandemic and to move the interests of canada forward in a complex world. and this is what i will continue to do and what we will all continue to do for canadians. liberal party of canada is an important institution in the history of our country.

the new prime minister and leader of the party will carry values and ideals into that next election. i am excited to see the process unfold in the months ahead. we were elected for the third time in 2021 to strengthen the economy post-pandemic and advance canada's interests in a complicated world, and that is exactly the job that i and we will continue to do for canadians. >> thank you, prime minister. we will now go to questions. >> hello, mr. trudeau. you wanted to go up against [indiscernible] but there has been infighting in your party. why did you make this decision today? why did you change your mind? prime minister trudeau: i don't

step back from a fight, especially an important fight for our party and country, in fact. but i do this job because the interests on the welfare of our country and democracy are important to me. it has become very, very clear that i cannot be the leader to take the party into the next election because of internal divisions. as you all know, i am a fighter, and i don't back away from a fight, particularly a fight as important as this one is. but i have always been driven by my love for canada, by my desire to serve canadians and what is in the best interests of canadians, and 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. >> [speaking french] you have been in office, canada has changed under your government. if there was one accomplishment that you are most proud of, and perhaps a regret you might want to share with us. >> in 2015 we were elected to work for the middle class and this is what we succeeded in doing, i think. we reduced poverty and helped families. we created an economy that works for many more people in preparation for a digital future and for the greater impact of climate change as well. we have done a lot of work with canadians.

canada is a better country today thanks to the work we have done over the past few years. well, a regret, i continue to think if our electoral system had been changed for people to be able to have a first, second or third choice, parties would have spent more time trying to find common ground rather than trying build polarization in our country. but i couldn't change our electoral system in our country. we got elected in 2015 to fight for the middle class and that's what we have done over the past years. we have reduced their taxes. we have increased the benefits to families and made sure the economy was focused on working for everyone and not just a few.

and that has changed. dropped poverty rates in canada and brought more people into the workforce and moved us forward on reconciliation in a way that has deeply improved the opportunities and success of canadians, despite the incredible difficult times the world is going through right now. there's lots more work to be done. i know this party and this country and canadians will keep doing it. if i have one regret as we approach this election, but probably many regrets, but i do wish that we had been able to change the way we elect our governments in this country so people can choose a second choice or third choice on the same ballot so parties would

spend more time on their second and third choices. and people would have been looking for things they have in common instead of trying to polarize and divide canadians against each other. i think in this time, trying to pull together and find common ground remains something that is important for democracy. but i could not change unilaterally without support of other parties our electoral system. that wouldn't have been responsible. >> prime minister, up until three weeks ago, you were intending to stay and it seems that the events three weeks ago of ms. freeland said you were firing her as your finance minister is the catalyst that brought us here today. can you explain of what happened there? prime minister trudeau: she has

been by my side for close to 10 years now. she has been an incredible political partner through just about everything we have done as a government and as a party over the past decade. i had really hoped she would agree to continue as my deputy prime minister and take on one of the most important files that this country is facing, but she chose otherwise. in regards to what actually happened, i am not someone who is in the habit of sharing private conversations. [speaking french] she has been by my side for the past 10 years now. she has been a political partner, essential partner. she has been involved in almost everything that we have

accomplished in government, i think. i would really have loved for her to choose to stay on as vice prime minister, deputy prime minister, rather, and she take on one of the most important files that our government will be facing in the coming months and years, but she didn't want to do that. in terms of the details of that conversation, i'm not someone inclined to share the details of private conversations. >> i am wondering if you feel that another leader will have more success that you will in feeding an opponent -- beating your opponent in the next campaign. prime minister trudeau: tradition for this country is

not the right one for canadians. stopping the fight against climate change doesn't make sense. backing off on the values and strength and diversity that canada has always worked to pull itself together on is not the right path for the country. attacking journalists, the cdc, institutions, that's not what canadians need in this moment. we need an optimistic view of the future and pierre is not offering that. i look forward to the fight as progressives across this country stand up for the kind of vision for a better country that canadians have always carried , despite the tremendous pressures around the world to think smaller, to veer towards

the hard right and be less ambitious for what we can be and do as a country when the world really needs canada. >> that is not an answer, though. yes or no, is there someone else who could beat him? >> absolutely. [speaking french] pierre has a small and wrongheaded vision for the country. even if you accept it, he is calling for stepping back from the fight against climate change. he is saying we shouldn't invest in a greener economy and build division between canadians rather than come together to face a future in an ambitious way. that's not the right choice for canadians at all.

and i am looking forward to continuing to be part of a progressive movement that looks to advance the future for canadians based on optimism and the work that canadians have always done to build a better world. >> [speaking french] hello, mr. trudeau. 16 years ago, stephen harper paroled parliament to divide a confidence vote that he knew he would lose because the opposition party voted against him. this is the situation you find yourself in today. the other liberal leaders said this was a hindrance to democracy. i would like to know why if this was bad under the harper government, it's good for you? the governor -- the government

in general in 2008 correctly concluded that the house of commons had just put confidence in mr. harper's government. despite a letter signed by the opposition leader, it was a political letter, but the voice of the house was paramount. before christmas, we won three nonconfidence votes. and we are going to have to retest the confidence of the house in march. to get a budget through.

in 2008, the governor general correctly concluded that because the very last times in the previous weeks that the confidence of the house had been tested, it had passed that confidence test.

stephen harper had the confidence of the house because it would bear out, stephen harper won a confidence vote once again. so a political document of political speeches doesn't carry the kind of weight that. this will take us into march and will be confidence votes in march and the passing of supply that will allow parliament to weigh in on confidence intake a of a way that is in keeping of all the presumes of democracy and the workings of our strong institutions. >> [speaking french] with respect, don't you think this is undemocratic because you are not allowing parliament to express your confidence in government. shouldn't you call an election? don't you think that would be a better approach? trudeau: [speaking french] i think everyone has seen just how the parliament has stopped working over the past few months. we are constantly facing constant filibustering and have been done very little in fact over the past few months in parliament. parliament needs a reset, i think.

it needs to calm down a bit. we should be constantly involved in politics. and so this reset requires two things. we can start from a new approach in parliament. and secondly, the liberal party will undertake a leadership race. and if i'm not one to lead the party in the next election, polarization in parliament should die down a bit. canadians need a well

functioning parliament especially in this complex world of ours. the two things i just mentioned will allow us to reset parliament. >> why not an election? you did not tell us that. trudeau: parliamentary press gallery, anyone who has been watching politics closely over the last few months, knows that parliament has been entirely seized by obstruction and filibustering and a total lack of productivity over the past few months. we are right now the longest serving minority government in history, and it is time for a reset. time for the temperature to come down, for the people have a fresh start in parliament to be able to navigate through these

complex times domestically and internationally, and the reset we have is actually two parts. what is the progression. the other part is recognizing that removing me from the equation as the leader who will fight the next election for the liberal party should decrease the level of polarization that we are seeing in the house and canadian politics and allow people to focus on serving canadians in this house and with their work the way canadians deserve. >> good morning. stephanie taylor, national post. given what you just said there will be confidence votes in march. opposition party said they are prepared to bring down your government. what chance do you think you are leaving to your success are

given there will only be weeks for them to introduce themselves to canadians before heading into an election potentially? trudeau: i have a tremendous amount of confidence in both canadians and in parliamentarians' interest in serving canadians in the right way. we are in a minority government right now. and there hasn't been an active leadership in the minority government in more than 50 years in this country. and there is always going to be the challenge of having a leadership race while a parliament would face confidence votes in the course of delivering supply to the government. so this is something that we are going to navigate through. but i truly feel removing the contention around my own continued leadership is an opportunity to bring the temperature down, have a

government that will focus on the complex issues that are coming forward in the coming months, while the party gets to have a full national process that brings in people from right across the country and makes a determination about the best person to carry these progressive liberal standard into the next election. >> can you clarify whether ministers who would like to campaign for your job will have to step out of parliament, and how can the liberal government be in a position to protect canadian businesses and canadians from the threats of tariffs from incoming president trump when other members are going to be focused on who will take your job? trudeau: the government on the cabinet will still be very much focused on doing the job that canadians elected us to do in

2021, which is fight for their interests, and stand up for their well-being and make sure they are good and canadians are protected and strong. there will be a leadership process, and the rules will unfold over the coming weeks, but i can assure you that the tools and the need to stand up for canadians, to protect canadians in their interests and continue to fight for the economy is something that everyone in this government will be singularly focused on. [speaking french] i would like to point out that the rules of any leadership race will be something that we will be discussing over the next few weeks, but the elected government, the government that was elected to protect canadians in a very complex world and most

recently elected in 2021, our government will be focused on what's in the best interests of canadians while the liberal party is doing what it needs to do to organize the leadership race. thank you very much for being