Quebec Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes said Monday that she has heard from “dozens” of her constituents over the summer that it’s time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down after nearly nine years in office.
Speaking to CBC’s Radio-Canada on the sidelines of a Liberal caucus rally in Nanaimo, British Columbia, voters are “very vocal about the need for the prime minister to resign.”
She said she personally supports Trudeau remaining prime minister, but “my voters do not see him as the person who should lead the party in the next election. That’s the message I’m getting.”
“I didn’t hear from a couple of people, I heard from dozens of people,” Mendez said. “He’s no longer fit to lead.”
During a Liberal caucus camp in British Columbia, Quebec Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes told CBC News that she personally believes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should continue to lead the Liberal party, but that voters don’t think so.
Mendes is one of a small number of Liberal MPs willing to speak publicly about their continuing dissatisfaction with Trudeau and his leadership.
Asked if he thought the party would be better off without Trudeau, Mendes replied: “Yes, I would say so, judging by all the comments I’ve heard.”
“The problem isn’t the Liberal Party itself. It’s the prime minister’s leadership.”
She said it “sads me” to hear anti-Trudeau sentiment.
“It’s sad that the prime minister doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for so many great things he’s done for Canada, or for the very good changes he’s made,” she said. “But on the other hand, if we listen to our constituents, and that’s what we should be doing, I have to say, yes, we’re going to have to change leadership.”
Liberal caucuses are expected to meet in Nanaimo, British Columbia, to discuss Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s future, with his government’s approval rating falling in the polls and a key Montreal by-election just a week away.
Mendes said if Trudeau has no intention of stepping down, the party needs to do a better job of communicating its many successes.
She said many Canadians have no idea about the government’s accomplishments over the past nine years.
Mendes said he would convey his constituents’ position to the Prime Minister tomorrow when he and other MPs meet face-to-face with the Premier and Cabinet at the first Liberal caucus meeting in months.
Some lawmakers had called for such a meeting weeks ago, but House Minority Leader Brenda Shanahan said it wasn’t possible due to “scheduling conflicts.”
Mendes said he expects other members to raise similar concerns after a tumultuous summer that saw the party lose a by-election in Toronto-St. Paul, a former Liberal stronghold held for more than three decades that Conservative candidate Don Stewart won in June. He said some Toronto voters see the by-election as a referendum on Trudeau.
The party faces other challenges: Last week, its national campaign director resigned and the NDP tore up the supply and confidence agreement that had underpinned the Liberal government for the past two-plus years.
The party is also in a three-way battle with the Bloc Québécois and the New Democrats to retain the once Liberal-held constituency of LaSalle-Emard-Verdun in Montreal.
