Trudeau is not signalling that he will voluntarily resign any time soon.

In an emergency meeting with his caucus following Freeland’s departure, Trudeau told fellow Liberal members of parliament (MPs) – including some who had directly called for him to step down – that he would take time to reflect, according to multiple reports.

And in a holiday speech to Liberal Party faithful on Tuesday, he acknowledged politics came with “big challenges” but said: “In difficult times, it’s not time to stop. It’s time to be ambitious, audacious.”

Trudeau has been under pressure since the summer, due to his plummeting approval ratings and a series of special election losses of once-safe Liberal seats that suggest major troubles for his party.

In October, he faced a small caucus revolt, with 24 MPs signing a letter calling for his exit.

Polls indicate that if a Canadian federal election were to be held today, the official opposition Conservative Party would be handed a decisive victory.

Trudeau has held on despite these troubles and has repeatedly vowed to run again as Liberal leader in the next election.

Only 13 out of 153 Liberal MPs have so far openly called for him to leave – nearly half of them are not seeking re-election themselves, according to tracking by CBC News.

Still, under the party’s constitution, the leader’s position can only be formally put to a vote by members following an election loss.