Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on the eve of a long-awaited caucus meeting where his future as leader of the Liberal Party is expected to be discussed, he does not believe his leadership is in jeopardy.
On his way to Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Trudeau was asked directly if he was worried about his fate, but he quickly answered “no” and continued walking.
About an hour later, ministers poured into the room and told reporters en route that they were still protecting him.
Justice Minister Arif Virani said, “I absolutely support the prime minister.”
Paschal St-Onge, Canada’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, said: “All of my Cabinet members, and myself, have 100 per cent support for the Prime Minister who has led this country through some difficult times over the past few years.”
“I think it’s time for us to caucus and for all of us to take Canadians seriously,” St-Onge said. “It is also a good time to prepare for the next election.”
Housing Minister Sean Fraser and several others also voiced their support.
“I’m a member of his cabinet, and of course we support him. I think the work that we’re trying to do to help Canadians is really the main focus right now.” Fraser said.
Tuesday’s cabinet meeting was the first time Trudeau’s cabinet has convened since four members of his inner circle announced they would not run again, setting the stage for impending personnel changes. It was an unusually long meeting.
Afterward, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that, based on conversations over the past 36 hours, she felt more “confident than ever” in leading the party, saying that “the vast majority of Liberal MPs support her.” “I have it,” he said. For the next election.
The united front also came just before Wednesday’s Liberal caucus, where sources told CTV News that a group of Liberal MPs who have been organizing in support of a leadership change before the next election called on Prime Minister Trudeau. He plans to file a lawsuit directly.
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Prime Minister Trudeau has been facing calls for his resignation from party officials for months, frustrated by two defeats in by-elections in Toronto and Montreal, but the latest pressure comes from elected officials. This is the most direct form of pressure as it comes from members of parliament who
As many as 30 Liberal backbenchers are reportedly involved in efforts to oust Trudeau or at least force him to reconsider his future. However, uncertainty remains about how many MPs are involved and who they are.
On Monday, longtime Liberal MP Sean Casey publicly acknowledged for the first time that he had signed a letter calling for Trudeau to resign, but declined to say how many of his colleagues had done the same.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he respects Mr. Casey but doesn’t believe his perspective is shared by the majority of Trudeau’s caucus.
“The Liberal Party is a big tent. We’re having a robust conversation, just like the caucus,” Mr Wilkinson said. “Right now, as the polls clearly show, we’re not in the lead. Members of our caucus have concerns, and it’s important that we have those conversations.”
Ministers promote ‘big tent’
Some ministers said their caucus colleagues should focus on serving Canadians and drawing a contrast with their Conservative opponents, who have been trailing in opinion polls for more than a year.
Immigration Minister Mark Miller said, “Every minute spent on this garbage is a minute not spent on Pierre Poièvre and what he wants to do for this country.”
Some say that internal disagreements and debates over the future direction of the party are signs of a healthy caucus where differing opinions can be expressed.
Canada’s Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien said, “He’s always had my back and I have his full support,” adding that the Liberals will still face Trudeau in the next election. He added that he still believes he can “absolutely” win with the prime minister. rudder.
“This is a big tent…People have a right to their opinion, but I just agreed with my opinion. My opinion is that I support him,” Ien said.
Health Minister Mark Holland said there’s nothing wrong with differences of opinion and believes Trudeau still has the support of “most” colleagues.
“I think this is a sign of a strong Democratic caucus,” Holland said.
“I’m comfortable having difficult conversations, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing this nine years later. It’s just part of politics,” said Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu.
Some MPs said they had not yet seen the circular calling on the prime minister to resign, but many said what happened in caucus was meant to stay there, until discussions were finished behind closed doors. He expressed his desire to maintain peace. .
“I haven’t seen the letter, I haven’t signed it. It’s a dead stop,” said Randy Boissonneau, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages. “Now is the time for the caucus to speak up, for the Prime Minister to listen and for us to get through this as a team.”
Conservatives pressurize prime minister over rebellion
A former Conservative Party leader who faced an internal revolt late in his tenure as prime minister said today the time has come for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign or call an election.
“The prime minister should move on,” Erin O’Toole said. “It’s a difficult decision because while he may be proud of some of the things he’s done, I think he’s now getting in the way of the national debate and the caucus.”
The drama in the Liberal caucus comes as internal working in the House of Commons remains stalled over a procedural dispute over unredacted documents.
Poièvre pursued the issue further during question period, accusing Trudeau of being “too busy fighting for his job to manage his government.”
All of this has led to continued speculation that the Prime Minister may disrupt parliament.
Nick Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research, told CTV News on Tuesday that “massive changes” would be needed to turn around the Liberal Party’s fortunes at this stage.
“I think every government has a shelf life and that’s a difficult thing to do. The reality is you can’t win an election just by having a divided Liberal chamber,” Nanos said.
With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyke