In addition to not leading the Liberal Party in the next federal election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will not run for the Quebec riding of Papineau. Trudeau said at a news conference with premiers that he will not run in the upcoming election based on his own decisions. He said he is fully focused on doing the job Canadians elected him to do at this extraordinary and important time. He said that the inauguration of Donald Trump and the challenges Canada will face in the coming weeks require us to work as a team.
This is Trudeau's first press conference since announcing that he would step down as party leader and prime minister once a new Liberal leader is elected. Following Trudeau's resignation, the party announced that it would elect a leader on March 9. Despite the resignation, Trudeau will remain a member of Parliament until the election. Once the writ is issued, he will also step down as MP for Papineau. Trudeau was first elected as MP for the riding in 2008.