A growing number of concerned Liberal MPs are making arrangements for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign as Liberal leader, increasing pressure on the prime minister and his office, multiple sources told CBC. told the news.
Disgruntled Liberal MPs have held a series of meetings to discuss the party’s path forward since the surprising Toronto-St.Paul election. Paul lost a by-election in June.
These negotiations accelerated with the return of Parliament and the defeat in the Montreal by-election. The situation escalated this week when the Prime Minister and his chief of staff Katie Telford traveled abroad for a summit in Asia.
Sources said some MPs have been asked to sign what amounts to a pledge to unite in calling for Trudeau’s resignation.
This document is not a letter to be circulated. Sources describe this as a means to bind MPs to that goal, securing a promise from them to seek leadership change if the prime minister and his supporters resist.
This week, members of Congress were drawn into meetings across the Capitol to sign top demands for change.
Sources told CBC News that MPs signed a single, closely guarded document, and no copies or photos of the document have been circulated.
All involved spoke to CBC News on condition that their names not be disclosed due to the confidentiality of internal discussions.
At least 20 MPs have signed the document so far, these sources said, and others have expressed support for the cause.
One of the MPs who signed the document told CBC News that the number of MP signatures fills the second page.
He said that since word of the document’s existence began to spread, other caucus members have called him and expressed their interest in signing the document.
One Liberal member of the effort said he plans to keep it quiet until there is strength in numbers.
The fear is that acting too soon could leave the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) pushing back on calls for change and splitting it, as it did in the summer after its painful loss in the Toronto by-election. .
That’s why MPs are being asked to sign this document now. It’s a kind of insurance contract, signed in ink by the members of Congress themselves, and cannot be repudiated even if the pressure gets too high.
The Toronto Star first reported this week about a meeting to discuss pressuring Trudeau to resign.
Dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership erupted at Wednesday’s Liberal Party national caucus meeting.
Some MPs said some key questions remain unanswered for the international summit, including who Trudeau will choose to replace Jeremy Broadhurst as Liberal campaign chief. He was angry that he had visited Laos.
Mr Broadhurst resigned in early September and a successor has not yet been named. This has caused some frustration in the caucus, given that an election could be called at any time in this minority parliament.
Some lawmakers are also frustrated that their clear demands for changes in the PMO’s staffing have so far been ignored, sources said.
A standoff between the Liberals and Conservatives over the release of unredacted documents to the RCMP has brought parliament to a standstill for more than a week. Pierre Poièvre falls silent in the House of Commons. Plus, the latest information on foreign interference investigations.
Officials say the decision to join the effort to oust Trudeau was a difficult one for many MPs.
Many people like Mr. Trudeau personally and think he was a good prime minister.
The group of MPs had hoped that defeats in Toronto and Montreal and weak poll results would convince Trudeau to resign on his own terms.
With no sign of that happening, some MPs say they feel they must act now to turn the party’s fortunes around.
Atlantic Caucus Chairman Cody Blois was among those who spoke at the national caucus about his concerns about Trudeau’s leadership, according to people familiar with the matter.
Blois told lawmakers that the Atlantic caucus had had “difficult, frank and frank conversations” earlier in the day.
Local caucuses will meet first thing Wednesday morning before reconvening for a national caucus of all Liberal MPs.
Two Liberal Party officials told CBC News that the Atlantic caucus has asked PMO representatives, who often attend such meetings, to leave to discuss the future privately.
They also asked the English and French interpreters to leave to ensure complete privacy.
All previous efforts to foster change within the party and PMO have so far failed.
The prime minister has repeatedly said he will stay on to lead the Liberal Party in the next election campaign.
CBC pollsters suggest the Liberals are leading the Conservatives by about 20 percentage points.
