Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Thursday that some members of the Toronto Liberal caucus recently met in her backyard to discuss the party’s unexpected loss in a by-election in the Toronto-St. Paul constituency.
Ms Freeland said the meeting was chaired by John MacKay, leader of the Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood, MPP for 416. Mr MacKay declined to comment on the meeting.
“It’s centrally located, so it offered its backyard,” said Freeland, who represents Toronto’s University-Rosedale electorate.
“I think this was a valuable opportunity to speak about the by-election results. The people of Toronto-St. Paul have sent us a message, and it is our absolute duty to listen to that message.”
Asked why she should remain finance minister with the Liberal Party still languishing in the polls, Freeland said: “Of course that is the prime minister’s choice.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was responding to a reporter’s question about whether she should remain as finance minister following her defeat in the Toronto-St. Paul by-election.
Freeland, of Milton, Ont. The federal government will invest We donate millions of dollars to support athletes who represent Canada.
Revelation of the backyard meeting came a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he has been “interacting” with councillors from the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding areas since the by-election.
One Liberal MP told CBC News that some lawmakers are concerned that if Trudeau remains leader, the party could suffer major defeats in the next federal election, scheduled for 2025.
But ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, came to the prime minister’s defence, publicly stating their support for his leadership.
Freeland echoed their comments, saying she had her “full support” for Trudeau.
“I know he has the full support of cabinet, and I know he has the full support of the vast majority of Liberal MPs,” she said.