Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to resign as leader of the Liberal Party, possibly as early as today, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA, citing the newspaper. "Globe and Mail".
According to sources in the Canadian publication, Trudeau will step down before a key meeting of the ruling party on Wednesday.
The Canadian Prime Minister's office has not yet responded to a Reuters request for comment.
It is also unclear at this time whether Trudeau will also resign as prime minister or remain in office until a new Liberal leader is elected, Reuters notes.
Trudeau led the party in 2013, when it was going through a difficult period, after for the first time in its history it came in third place in a parliamentary election. Opinion polls show the ruling party will suffer a heavy defeat by the conservative opposition in the regular election, which is due by the end of October.
However, Trudeau's resignation is likely to lead to new calls for a quick election to elect a government that can work with the administration of US President Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20.
Trump recently mockingly called Trudeau a "governor" and repeated his proposal that Canada become a US state.
Stock markets appear to have largely priced in the expected resignation of the Canadian prime minister and may welcome an election that would clarify the situation, Reuters notes. As a result, the Canadian dollar appreciated by 0.37% against the US dollar to a level of 1.4394 per dollar.