Canada awaits word from Trudeau amid pressure to quit

PM not seen in public since a minister criticised him in a public resignation letter

The holiday period is over, and Canadian politics is gripped by a single question: When will the country hear from Mr Justin Trudeau?

The Prime Minister has largely disappeared from public view since Dec 16, when Ms Chrystia Freeland - his finance minister and once his most powerful ally in Cabinet - resigned in devastating fashion, with a public letter that criticised him.

Mr Trudeau spent much of the holidays at a ski resort in western Canada and is not planning any official events or appearances by the end of the week, according to a person familiar with his schedule.

He has given no public indication yet of when he will announce a decision about his future.

But lawmakers in his Liberal Party keep turning up the pressure on him to quit as the party's polling numbers slide further.

A new survey by Nanos Research, taken over the holiday period, has the Conservative Party extending its lead going into an election year.

Members of the Liberal caucus of Quebec, Mr Trudeau's home province, have asked the Prime Minister to step aside, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, following a similar declaration by those in Ontario.