Trudeau insists he's staying on as Liberal leader. But what if he changes his mind?

The Liberal caucus is set to meet in Nanaimo, B.C., next week for a retreat ahead of the fall parliamentary sitting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists he will lead his party into the next election despite polls citing his unpopularity among Canadians. Here's a look at what would happen if he decided to call it quits.

The Liberal caucus is set to meet in Nanaimo, B.C., next week for a retreat ahead of the fall parliamentary sitting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists he will lead his party into the next election despite polls citing his unpopularity among Canadians. Here's a look at what would happen if he decided to call it quits.

Absolutely. But a decision to step down becomes a lot harder now that the New Democrats have pulled out of a supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, which has helped keep the minority government in power. If Trudeau were to resign, the New Democrats could vote with the Conservatives on a confidence motion and trigger a snap election. That could leave the Liberal party without a leader as parties vie for votes.

An interim leader would be appointed and a leadership race would be triggered. The national president would have 27 days to call a meeting with the party's board of directors. A leadership vote committee would also form to plan, organize and carry out the leadership vote.

It's not typically a fast process. Trudeau won after a five-month race, but planning was in the works for years.

By comparison, it took two years for the Conservatives to vote in a new leader after Stephen Harper’s resignation following the 2015 election.

The race that brought Pierre Poilievre to the helm of the Conservatives in 2022 lasted eight months.

The Liberal party constitution lays out the process for any potential nominee. They have at least 90 days before a leadership vote to announce their intention to run. They need at least 300 signatures from registered Liberals, 100 of which must come from Liberals in three different provinces.