Canada's Trudeau, hit by separation, set to stay on and fight election

FILE PHOTO: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau attend a Canada Day event in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada July 1, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Justin Trudeau's surprise announcement that he and his wife were separating, just a week after a broad cabinet reshuffle, underscores the Canadian prime minister's focus and intent to lead the Liberal Party into a fourth election victory, despite sagging opinion polls, pollsters and insiders said.

On Wednesday, Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau unexpectedly announced their separation, likely marking the end of their 18-year-long high profile marriage. The separation is one of Trudeau's biggest personal crises, although insiders and political commentators said he wants to ride out the aftershocks.