ottawa –
Liberal MP Sean Casey has publicly acknowledged for the first time that he has signed a letter calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign, arguing it is in the national interest for someone else to take over.
Few non-cabinet Liberal MPs have publicly defended the prime minister as internal rebellion erupts. A caucus scheduled for Wednesday appears to be the most serious challenge yet to Trudeau’s leadership.
Casey, an MP from Charlottetown, told reporters on Monday that he had signed a letter calling on the prime minister to resign, but he did not say how many of his colleagues had signed. He first announced publicly last week that he would no longer support the prime minister.
Mr. Casey argued that Canadians are no longer listening to Prime Minister Trudeau and that he is distracting from the work of government.
“Voting is an emotional movement. It’s not based on logic and reason. If it were based on logic and rational thinking, we’d be up 20 points, not down. No. But the baggage is building up. People are ignoring him,” he told reporters.
A group of Liberal Party MPs plans to confront Prime Minister Trudeau at Wednesday’s caucus over weak poll numbers and bleak election prospects, according to multiple media reports.
The exact strategy and scope of the attempt to force Trudeau to resign remains unclear, but some MPs who spoke to The Canadian Press about the background said a significant number of party members were involved.
Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault told reporters Monday that he continues to support Trudeau, although he understands people may want change after seeing him in power for nine years. .
“I have not seen that letter and I have not spoken to any of the colleagues who are said to have signed it. If I were to sit down and talk to them, it would mean that the Prime Minister has my document.”Support Please,” he said.
Other Liberal supporters will only say they’ll save that conversation for Wednesday.
“We need to have this (dialogue) in our caucuses,” Sameer Zuberi said.
The Liberal Party has no mechanism for forcing leaders to step down, and the decision to resign is entirely up to Prime Minister Trudeau.
The attempt to oust the prime minister comes at a particularly dangerous time for the minority government, as the Liberals seek to maintain control of an increasingly unstable parliament.
Conservative debate over documents on federal spending on green technology projects dragged on into its 11th day, with the privileges issue nearly paralyzing the House of Commons business for weeks.
The only effort to move forward on Monday was prompted by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Liberal MP George Chahal, who sent a letter to House Speaker Greg Fergus calling for an urgent debate on allegations of foreign interference by India.
Fergus approved the request for an emergency debate Monday night.
Last week, the RCMP revealed allegations that Indian government officials were involved in murder, extortion and extortion cases in Canada.
Following the allegations, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, and India also sent back six Canadian envoys.
In his letter, Singh wrote that given the “seriousness of the situation and the risk it poses to all Canadians,” an urgent debate is needed so that MPs can discuss potential actions to protect the public. said.
Singh also tabled a motion on Monday to establish a House of Commons committee on Canada-India relations to investigate the interference. He did not receive the necessary support from all members of Congress.
Mr Singh said Councilor Kevin Lamoureux appeared to be the one who voted against it and accused the Liberals of withdrawing his motion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.