Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will continue as leader, some Liberal MPs said Tuesday, following the humiliation of Chrystia Freeland’s public cabinet resignation and yet another painful defeat in a by-election in British Columbia. He said on Tuesday that it was not possible.
Calls for Prime Minister Trudeau to resign are coming from some of the same people who have called for him to resign in the past.
But some MPs who were previously cautious or even defended the prime minister in the past are now saying it’s time to turn the page on the Trudeau era.
Prime Minister Trudeau told disgruntled MPs at last night’s caucus that he had heard their concerns and would take time to think about his future. He has said so in the past, but has since decided to continue fighting another day.
But the Liberal Party’s loss in British Columbia’s by-election last night could give Trudeau less room to maneuver.
The Conservative candidate won the seat by about 50 percentage points over his Liberal challenger, an embarrassing result considering the Liberals won the seat in the last general election.
One MP who is now becoming more vocal about his desire for change at the top is British Columbia Liberal MP Ken Hardy. He said on Tuesday that he believed it was “unfortunate” that the prime minister should step down to make room for another leader to take the party in a different direction.
Mr. Hardy said he was prepared to give Trudeau more time to restore his standing among Canadians, but that didn’t happen and it was time to go.
“The prime minister hasn’t moved the needle yet,” Hardy told CBC News Network.
Hardy said the government has put forward some strong policies in recent months to address the challenges of our time, but they don’t resonate with Canadians because many Canadians are fed up with Prime Minister Trudeau. He said he had not called.
“Canadian people have been speaking to us for some time. They’ve been speaking to us from the streets. And they’re saying we can’t support this leader,” he said.
“The prime minister has absolutely no trust with Canadians. He should resign and someone new should take the party and the country forward.”
A growing number of people within the Liberal Party are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign as party leader. And Surrey’s Feetwood-Port Kerris MP Ken Hardy added his voice to their camp when asked by CBC’s Gloria Makarenko whether the prime minister should resign.
Mr. Hardy echoed Ontario MP Francis Drouin, who said Mr. Trudeau should resign following Mr. Freeland’s surprise resignation on Monday. Drouin previously called on disgruntled MPs to halt efforts to oust the prime minister.
New Brunswick MP Wayne Long has been leading attacks on Trudeau within his caucus for months.
By his count, 40 to 50 of the 153 current Liberal MPs want Trudeau to resign immediately, and even more believe he should resign but are keeping their opinions quiet. said. He said about 50 MPs are avowed supporters of Mr. Trudeau and don’t think he should go anywhere.
Prime Minister Trudeau is ‘living in a false reality’, Liberals say
More importantly, Long said most Canadians are done with Trudeau and should read the writing on the wall.
He pointed to polls that suggest the Liberal Party is supported by about 20 per cent of Canadians and said the party would be in for an electoral disaster if he remained in office.
“The Prime Minister is living in a false reality. He is delusional if he thinks he can continue like this. This is unfair to us MPs, it is unfair to the ministers, and most importantly It’s especially unfair to the country. We need to move in a new direction, we need to restart,” Long told reporters on Parliament Hill.
“One in five Canadians supports us right now…I don’t know what more people have seen to know it’s time to move on.” The people who are advising him, the people who surround him, are doing him a disservice.” ”
People who spoke to CBC News at Chrystia Freeland’s ride at Toronto’s University Rosedale said they were surprised to hear she had resigned from the cabinet, but said it was the right thing to do.
Trudeau’s remaining supporters say he deserves to stay in office even though it’s been a tumultuous time for the party.
“I have confidence in the prime minister. He is a strong leader and is focused on serving Canadians,” said Ontario MP Yasir Naqvi.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has focused on preparing Canada for an expected tariff battle with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to impose tariffs on all goods imported into the U.S. as soon as he takes office in the new year. He said that it should be a central focus. .
B.C. MP Joyce Murray, who was in Trudeau’s cabinet before being ousted, said MPs should remain loyal to Trudeau.
“I think we should all be loyal to the prime minister, because he has done exactly what he said he would do for Canadians over the last nine years,” she told reporters.
Ontario MP James Mulroney agreed, saying Trudeau “has done a remarkable job and will continue to do a remarkable job. I have confidence in him.”
Other past Trudeau defenders have been quieter than usual.
Ontario MP Judy Sgro, who has been an MP for 25 years, said Trudeau is a “smart person.”
“If he feels he needs to decide in a different direction, that’s his decision and he’ll make it at the appropriate time,” she said.
