Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation as Liberal Leader and Prime Minister outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Jan. 6.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

On Jan. 19, 2023, then-New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern stunned her country by announcing her resignation.

She’d been in office for just five years, and was only two years removed from a massive landslide majority. But the pandemic had taken a toll, on both her (politically) and the country. Her Labour Party had fallen behind the centre-right National Party in the polls.

“I’m leaving because, with such a privileged role comes responsibility,” Ms. Ardern said in announcing her planned departure. “The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not.”

I couldn’t help but think back to that moment as I listened to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announce his plans to resign after his party chooses a new leader this spring. His departure has absolutely nothing in common with Ms. Ardern’s, someone who put country before status and personal ambitions.

Mr. Trudeau did not know when to leave, which was likely 18 months ago, if not much earlier. For all the leadership skills he demonstrated throughout the pandemic, he could not escape the political damage it exacted........

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