U.S. RECORDS ITS FIRST HUMAN DEATH LINKED TO BIRD FLU

The process to select the successor of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will commence this week, but that person will face the twin challenges of a severely tarnished Liberal Party brand as well as the prospect of facing a confidence vote almost immediately into their tenure.

- Agence France-Presse

TORONTO:

Following Trudeau's announcement on Monday morning in Ottawa that he intends to resign as PM once the next Liberal leader is elected, the party's president Sachit Mehra, in a statement, said its National Board will meet "later this week" and "begin the nationwide democratic process of selecting a new leader".

Parliament has been prorogued till March 24 and that will provide the party with two-and-a-half months to complete the process.

"This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," Trudeau said during his press conference on Monday.

But his successor will have to deal with a party that has grown incredibly unpopular over the past two years. As University of Toronto political scientist Andrew McDougall said, "Avoiding the worst outcome is maybe all they can do."

"Can they turn it around? Maybe, but I think it will be a very heavy lift," he added.