Immigration Minister Marc Miller, a close friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said the Liberal party’s surprising defeat in this week’s Toronto-St. Paul by-election should prompt reflection within the party, but he argues that Trudeau is the best person to take on the Conservatives in the next election.
While some pollsters and experts say the Conservative win in a former Liberal stronghold is a sign that Trudeau’s party is almost certain to lose next year’s federal election, Miller said the party can still win back the support of Canadians.
Asked about Trudeau’s future, Miller said: “My advice as a close friend would be absolutely not to do so publicly. My advice to him as a minister and as a professional colleague would be absolutely to stay.”
But he didn’t mince words about the scathing defeat, describing it as a bitter defeat that would lead to serious “introspection.”
“This loss should not be taken lightly. I think a lot of us have to take a step back, shake our heads and try a little harder. Stop thinking about ourselves and get back on the horse and fight for Canadians,” he told reporters at the announcement in Montreal.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said “many of us have to step back and shake our heads” following the Liberal Party’s defeat in the Toronto-St. Paul by-election. Miller believes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the best person to take on Conservative Leader Pierre Poirievre in the next election, calling Poirievre a “fake” and likening him to a “slogan-shouting wrestling manager from the 1980s.”
Miller said it was only natural that voters were dissatisfied with the government after nearly nine years in power.
Rightly or wrongly, he said, Trudeau and the Liberal Party are being held responsible for all the country’s woes.
To restore its standing among Canadians, Miller said the government needs to redouble its efforts to address the home affordability crisis that is driving up prices for everything and frustrating the homeownership hopes of younger voters.
“That’s something we really need to focus on,” he said.
Miller also said the government needed to draw a clearer contrast with Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbvre.
The Montreal minister said Poirievre was a negative leader who was “peddling” a style of politics reminiscent of populist right-wing leaders in the United States.
Miller has been an outspoken critic of Poirievre in the past, describing the opposition leader as a “charlatan” and a “quack pill seller”.
On Wednesday, Miller called the Conservative leader a “fake” and likened him to an “80s wrestling manager” who relies on slogans and theatrics to score political points.
“He’s imported it from the South with his own style and it’s worked for him, but this isn’t a WWF match, it’s reality. Canadians are suffering and we need to fight for them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Poirievre has been highly critical of the government’s handling of the immigration issue.
According to Statistics Canada data, Over 1 million people added This has continued over the last year, with housing supply tight and access to health care limited in some areas.
In an interview with French-language broadcaster TVA last week, Poirierbre said immigration levels would be “much lower” under his government.
“We can’t bring 1.2 million new people into Canada every year. And when you think about building 200,000 homes, it’s impossible. We can’t afford it. Quebec is at its limit,” he said.
Don Stewart, the Conservative candidate who won Monday’s by-election, Video released He said via social media that he was “very honoured” to be heading to Ottawa to represent Toronto St. Paul University.
Stewart echoed his leader’s comments and said he was ready to join Poirievre’s team in the fight to “repeal taxes, build housing, fix the budget and stop crime.”
Miller said the government hopes Canadians will eventually grow tired of Poirierbre and his methods.
“Canadians are pretty good at detecting lies and they can tell right away when they’re being duped. People are going to find out this year,” he said.
Mental Health Minister Yaara Sachs said Wednesday that the government is committed to restoring Canadians’ hope for the country’s future, and there’s no one better suited to do that than Prime Minister Trudeau.
“He remains the most important leader of his generation to bring change to this country. Change is hard. It’s not easy. It’s messy. It’s challenging. I don’t know of any other leader who is willing to be uncomfortable and make the changes and shifts that are necessary,” Sachs said.
“It’s easy to stand up and be outraged. It’s really easy to stand up and be outraged on a social media platform,” Sacks said of Poirierbre.
“It’s really easy to break things. It’s really easy to cut things. But it’s really hard to make things.”
To address anxiety in caucus following the Conservative victory in Toronto, staffers in the Prime Minister’s Office called several Liberal MPs on Tuesday to solicit their thoughts on the party’s direction and hear how they’re feeling, sources told CBC’s French-language station Radio-Canada.
Mr. Trudeau himself made no such calls, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
While Miller and Sachs don’t like Poirievre’s style, there are signs they are supporting the Conservative leader as Canadians become increasingly disillusioned with Trudeau.
Poll after poll shows that Trudeau and his party are not supported by the majority of Canadians.
338 Canada, which compiles polls, puts the Liberal Party’s support nationwide at just 24 per cent.
Voters in Toronto St. Paul told CBC News during the by-election campaign that the housing crisis, inflation and the government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict are sore spots.
But the issues aren’t just about the problems: Many voters expressed a desire for change and fatigue with Trudeau.
Even past and current Liberal supporters told CBC News that Trudeau should step down as leader if he loses once-solid Liberal seats.
Prime Minister Trudeau has not indicated he plans to resign.
He said Monday’s defeat was “clearly not the outcome we wanted” and vowed to regroup.
“I want to be clear that we hear your concerns and frustrations,” he said.