Following months of controversy and calls for Justin Trudeau to step down, he announced yesterday he will resign as Liberal leader but will remain Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen. As such, Trudeau asked the Liberal Party of Canada National Board to initiate a leadership race.

Additionally, Trudeau announced Governor General Mary Simon granted his request to prorogue parliament, citing paralysis in the House.

The new session of parliament will open with a throne speech on March 24. Sources indicate a new leader could possibly be selected in time for the speech.

During his press conference, Trudeau acknowledged the challenges facing the Liberal Party and his leadership personally, saying, “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.”

Chief Strategy Officer Marci Surkes spoke to The Globe and Mail about Trudeau’s decision, below.

“He has been forced to become adept at making tough calls and sometimes unpopular calls and sometimes calls that he has personally had to account for and revise,” Ms. Surkes said.

She argues that his upbringing uniquely prepared him for the position. From the start, she said, Mr. Trudeau was a polarizing figure who needed no introduction with Canadian voters. That also meant he had a tougher skin as public opinion shifted over his tenure from a majority positive view to the opposite.

“He’s remarkably unfussed by the haters,” Ms. Surkes said, adding that Mr. Trudeau can refocus and compartmentalize “in a way that I think would be very difficult for most other people.”