Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged defeat in his first address to party members since Monday’s by-election defeat but did not appear to waver from his usual message.
“This is a time when people all over the world are facing great challenges and great uncertainty. We saw that on Monday night in Toronto-St. Paul,” Trudeau told Liberal supporters at a fundraiser with Liberal donors in Brampton, Ont., on Thursday night.
It is his first visit to the vote-heavy Greater Toronto Area since the party suffered losses in Monday’s by-elections in ridings that had previously seemed a sure bet for the Liberals.
Liberal candidate Leslie Church lost to Conservative candidate Don Stewart in the Toronto-St. Paul riding, a seat the Liberal party has held for more than 30 years.
Still, the prime minister repeated the same refrain on Thursday as he has for the past few months — that the Liberals are focused on finding solutions and he has accused the Conservatives of stoking anger — but he also appeared to bolster the morale of those who gathered after the by-election defeat.
“When the next election comes, everybody will start with zero councillors. Everybody will start with zero votes,” he said.
Trudeau received a standing ovation from the roughly 100 Liberal supporters in attendance, but the mood in the room was otherwise subdued.
David Haar, who served as the Liberal party’s chief election strategist under former Prime Minister Paul Martin, told Power & Politics magazine on Thursday that Justin Trudeau should ask himself “what are the risks if I leave and what are the risks if I stay” as some Liberal MPs question his leadership following the party’s shocking by-election defeat in the Toronto-St. Paul constituency.
The loss in Toronto-St. Paul has sparked discussion within the Liberal caucus about the party’s future, the sustainability of Trudeau’s leadership and the effectiveness of the political team around him, sources told CBC News.
On Thursday, Liberal MP Sophie Chatel avoided a question about whether Trudeau should remain leader.
“This is not something I’m comfortable talking about. I think there are discussions going on internally. I think ultimately it’s his decision and I respect that,” she told CBC News during a media availability.
When asked by CBC News on Wednesday, Sophie Chatel, Liberal MP for Pontiac, Quebec, declined to say whether Justin Trudeau should remain leader of the Liberal party.
Avtar Minhas, a Liberal supporter who attended Thursday’s fundraiser, said he still supports Trudeau and that it would be a “huge setback” if he resigns.
“I believe he’s still very capable of winning,” Minhas told CBC News.
Another supporter at the fundraiser, Bill Adair, wasn’t impressed by Toronto St. Paul’s loss.
“This is a by-election, this is a constituency,” he said, but it seemed unclear whether Trudeau should stay or step down.
Asked whether Trudeau should remain leader, Adair said he had “no idea.”
Trudeau has indicated he has no plans to resign and said he looks forward to “the fight” in the next election.
Several Liberal MPs told CBC News that a national caucus needs to meet as soon as possible to discuss the impact of the loss in Monday’s Toronto by-election and can’t wait until a planned meeting in late summer. The MPs spoke to CBC on the condition that they not be named.
At least one lawmaker has spoken publicly of his desire to hold a caucus by the end of the summer.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t meet as a caucus until after the summer, but I think the focus should be on local residents right now,” Liberal MP Jenica Atwin told CBC News at a press conference on Wednesday.
But House Majority Leader Steve McKinnon said Thursday he doesn’t see the need for an early caucus.
“I know the prime minister is listening very carefully to the views of all his colleagues,” he told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.
“There are a number of feedback mechanisms available to us and we intend to take advantage of all of them.”
Sources told Radio-Canada on Tuesday that members of Trudeau’s team called party members on Tuesday to solicit their input on the party’s direction.
