C anadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is stepping down as the leader of the ruling Liberal Party, following months of pressure from partymates to resign amid increasingly poor public approval ratings.

By suspending Parliament and promising to resign, the prime minister bought the Liberals time. But Canada will now face Donald J. Trump with a lame duck in charge.

Throughout the waning weeks of 2024, a growing chorus of Canadian lawmakers—including many members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own Liberal Party—urged Canada’s embattled leader to “take a walk in the snow.