BREAKING: Justin Trudeau expected to resign early this week: report

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is anticipated to step down as leader of the Liberal Party as early as Monday, three sources revealed on Sunday.

The Globe and Mail reports: "The sources stressed that they don’t know definitely when Mr. Trudeau will announce his plans to leave but said they expect it will happen before a key national caucus meeting on Wednesday. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources because they were not authorized to discuss internal party matters."

The move comes amid mounting pressure from within his caucus and bleak public opinion polls suggesting his party could face a crushing defeat to Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in the next election.

The Globe continues: "One of the sources, who spoke recently to the Prime Minister, said Mr. Trudeau realizes he needs to make an announcement before he meets the Liberal caucus so it doesn’t look like he was forced out by his own MPs."

The bombshell report indicates that sources say it's unclear whether Trudeau will step down immediately or continue serving as Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen. The party's national executive, responsible for leadership decisions, is expected to convene later this week, likely following the upcoming caucus meeting.

Many Liberal MPs have expressed a preference for an immediate replacement as Trudeau has tanked his party's favorability to unprecedented levels.

There has been much speculation as to who would replace Trudeau.

Per The Globe, "Liberal candidates who are possible leadership contenders: Ms. [Chrystia] Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Transport Minister Anita Anand, former central banker Mark Carney and former B.C. premier Christy Clark."

Trudeau became the leader of the Liberal Party in 2013 when it was facing significant challenges, having fallen to third place in the House of Commons for the first time.

However, in recent years, the country has soured on Trudeau. His handling of the pandemic was heavily criticized as lockdowns and vaccine caused Canadians to lose their jobs. The Freedom Convoy protest was also seen as poorly handled by a Trudeau government that criminalized peaceful protest and engaged in punative banking practices against participants and organizers. In recent weeks, Trudeau's Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland resigned ahead of an expected financial report that showed the nation's economy in ruins. Freeland, who also served as Finance Minister, was replaced be LeBlanc.

Poilievre has been gaining support across the country as he continues to speak out about plans and policies to revitalize the economy and call for a carbon tax election. Recent polls show Poilievre with a commanding lead.

"The Conservatives have increased their lead over the Liberals to 23 points nationwide as support for Justin Trudeau's party took another tumble in the wake of Chrystia Freeland's resignation from cabinet," said a recent poll featured on the CBC. "While the Conservatives are in a position to win a massive majority government, the Liberals are fighting with the Bloc Québécois to finish second in seats. The New Democrats, third in national polling, have not significantly benefited from the Liberal collapse."

Part of the trouble for Trudeau came after an informal coalition between the leftist NDP, led by Jagmeet Singh, fell apart. Singh recently said that he would pull his support for Trudeau, however has been delaying committing to a non-confidence vote.