OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his leadership of the Liberal party is not in danger, even as members of his caucus prepare to confront him Wednesday in the hopes of convincing him to step down.
He brushed off those concerns as he headed into the regular Tuesday meeting with cabinet ministers — and one by one, those ministers expressed their support for Trudeau.
“Anybody who has ever bet against Justin Trudeau is sorry they made that bet the next day,” said Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault.
The cabinet meeting lasted nearly twice as long as usual. Afterward, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne described it as a “very good meeting.”
Even as Trudeau and his cabinet insist it’s business as usual, a number of Liberal MPs have signed onto a closely guarded letter that aims to convince him to step aside before the next election.
It’s not clear how many members of Trudeau’s team of MPs plan to confront him, or exactly what their message will be, but a caucus revolt could pose the most serious challenge to Trudeau’s leadership to date.
Charlottetown MP Sean Casey is the only Liberal to publicly say that he has signed the letter.
Still, there is no way for the Liberal caucus to force him out, so the decision about whether to stay or go will ultimately be up to the prime minister.
The attempted revolt is happening at the same time as a near-total paralysis in the House of Commons, as the Conservatives continue to filibuster a privilege motion related to a green-tech fund that was disbanded by the government over misspent funds.
The Tories have pledged to continue the debate, which has superseded almost all other business in the House for 12 sitting days, until the government hands over unredacted documents about the fund so Parliament can turn them over to the RCMP. The Liberals have refused to do so.
The Bloc Québécois has offered to help put an end to the debate — so long as the Liberals approve the funding for a private member’s bill that would boost old age security for all seniors, and help hurry along another bill to protect supply management that is currently in the Senate.
If the Liberals refuse, the Bloc says it will start working with the Conservatives and NDP next week to bring the government down.
“We cannot avoid noticing that there’s nothing happening in this government. It is being eaten from inside and being attacked from outside and nothing is happening,” Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday.
“The whole story is now: what will Justin Trudeau, superstar, do in the coming days? There’s no management of the Canadian affairs and that is a problem. We are currently the only ones trying to do something.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland would only say that the government is still in talks with the NDP and the Bloc. The minority Liberals need the support of one of the opposition parties to continue to pass bills, and the NDP is now taking each vote on a case-by-case basis after ending a supply-and-confidence deal with the government last month.
NDP House leader Peter Julian called the government “rudderless,” with Parliament paralyzed and the Liberal caucus focused on bringing down its own leader.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who is also Trudeau’s personal friend, spoke out against MPs who hope to oust the leader.
“Any minute spent on this garbage is a minute that’s not spent on Pierre Poilievre and what he wants to do to this country,’ Miller told reporters.
Other ministers suggested a healthy debate within caucus was the best way to pull the team together.
“Any time there are voices of dissent we have to deal with them, we have to listen to them carefully,” Labour Minister Stephen MacKinnon said.
“We have to deal with them and present a unified face to Canadians.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre goaded the prime minister about the potential revolt during question period on Tuesday.
“The reality is he can’t administer the government because he’s too busy fighting for his job after nine years. Even his MPs know it,” Poilievre said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
