Reaction from across B.C. to the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was swift, mixed and united by one common thread: it was time.

Shortly after the embattled prime minister announced Jan. 6 he's stepping down, Ken Hardie, the veteran Liberal MP for the B.C. riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells since 2015, said Trudeau probably should have pulled the plug a year ago.

"But it is what it is, we simply have to move forward. There are differences of opinion what kind of process is needed right now. There's some that say there should be an interim leader appointed right away who can hit the ground and get things going. Others, including Mr. Trudeau, were talking this morning about a full-fledged leadership contest, which is somewhat time-consuming and one would wonder if there's really time to do that and get somebody in place with enough time to get themselves established."

North-Okanagan Shuswap Conservative MP Mel Arnold chose stronger terms, especially in connection with Trudeau's decision to prorogue Parliament until March 24.

"At a time when Canadians face unprecedented challenges and threats, Trudeau has delayed the return of Parliament by at least eight weeks because of a political crisis within the Liberal party," said Arnold.

Arnold said suspending Parliament is not necessary and "Trudeau’s political crisis" could have been avoided if the Liberals listened and called a federal election.

He pointed to the fall session of Parliament where work essentially stopped due to debate over the .

"This failed Prime Minister and his Liberal enablers have repeatedly broken the trust that Canadians put in them; rather than fulfilling their responsibilities to serve Canada, the Liberals continue to serve themselves.

"Despite Trudeau’s announcements today, I continue to work with my Conservative colleagues to bring home Canada’s promise that every hardworking Canadian gets a powerful paycheque and pension that buys affordable food and homes on safe streets, where all are united for the country we know and love: Canada first, Canada last, Canada always," Arnold said.

Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May — another veteran B.C.-based MP — said though she's not surprised by Trudeau's resignation, it is a sad day for the prime minister who has held the office for nine years.

"I've known him and worked with him from when I was first elected in 2011, and the Liberal Party was the third party in the House. I used to joke and say that Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party were so irrelevant they had to sit with me. I mean, I was in the far corner of the chamber, and so was he," she said.

She explained that over the years she watched him be recruited by the Liberal Party because of his "royal jelly and charisma" before he was elected as party leader in 2013, and eventually elected as PM in 2015.

On a personal level, she thanked Trudeau for his years serving the country, despite the transgressions made by Trudeau and his party; and she said she hopes for many years of peace for him and his family.

"This was a hard thing to do. Public service is increasingly hard. And the vitriol and personal unpleasantness for Trudeau, no matter how much of it one could say he was the author of his own misfortune, one of the things that has changed is that we've lost a lot of basic civility," she said. "I think that for him to be snowboarding in B.C. over Christmas and being attacked with really rude language in front of his very youngest child is unfortunate, and it just underscores that public service is a sacrifice."

"I'm very angry at a whole lot of Liberal broken promises, but I promise they'll hear about that on the campaign trail when we get to the 2025 election," she said

Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal MP for Surrey-Newton, will run for a sixth term in the next election. He commended Trudeau "because he listened to his caucus MPs and he has listened to Canadians and has made a difficult decision and, you know, only the strong leaders can do that, basically who listen to Canadians contrary to the Conservatives."

Asked about the prospect of a Liberal defeat Ã  la Kim Campbell at the election polls, Dhaliwal replied "certainly not."

"There will be a lot of excitement among Canadians right now" heading into a Liberal leadership race, he said. "The leader who is going to be successful has to be a grassroots leader because the elected people are the lifeblood of people, Canadians. And that leader has to make sure, you know, take care of their hopes and deliver the things that Canadians need."

Randeep Sarai, Liberal MP for Surrey Centre, is seeking a fourth term in office. He said Trudeau "had a great run, he's been elected for over nine years going on his tenth year, he led the party for over 10 years, he surpassed Harper's tenure in terms of length of being in office and he's done some very huge legislative changes, a few very great policy changes, reduced poverty by almost three million people.

Hardie said he wants to Liberal party "to better reflect what we've been hearing from the street, and cautioned against Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

"He only has one speed, and that's nasty."

Poilievre issued a statement Monday stating that "Canadians desperate to turn the page on this dark chapter in our history might be relieved today that Justin Trudeau is finally leaving. But what has really changed? Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential Liberal leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last nine years."

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, meanwhile, said Trudeau "let down Canadians.

"The problem is not just Justin Trudeau," Singh said, "it's every minister that's been calling the shots. It's every Liberal MP that looked down their nose at Canadians who are worried about high costs or crumbling health care. The Liberals do not deserve another chance, no matter who is the leader."

Meanwhile, Conservative Party of B.C. leader John Rustad also issued a statement Monday on Trudeau's resignation, saying it marks a "pivotal moment for British Columbia and all Canadians.

"It’s clear that Canadians are rejecting divisive, ideological leadership and are demanding a return to common-sense government — one that puts the priorities of everyday people ahead of out-of-touch policies.

— with files from Bailey Seymour and Black Press Media