OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau so far appears to be resisting pressure to quit as Liberal leader in the face of mounting calls for his resignation after Monday’s shock byelection defeat in Toronto, including from a former high-profile cabinet minister who helped craft his government’s controversial carbon price policy.
The Star’s Althia Raj reported Friday that Wayne Long, a sitting member of the Liberal caucus, is also now demanding Trudeau step down — the first sign of a possible revolt brewing amongst MPs in the prime minister’s party.
At the same time, Toronto Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith posted a video on social media in which he says Liberal members should collectively decide whether Trudeau gets to stay on as leader following the defeat in Toronto—St. Paul’s, a riding the party had held in all 10 elections since 1993.
“He and his team should articulate why he is the best person” to protect what the Liberal government has accomplished since it took office in 2015, Erskine-Smith said.
“Put it to the members.”
A senior official in Trudeau’s office told the Star on Friday the situation is “not easy,” but that the prime minister and his party need to “double down” on their current policy direction to win back the faith of Canadian voters. The official dismissed the suggestion that Trudeau could be pushed out or convinced to resign as Liberal leader, arguing he was elected with a mandate to govern in 2021.
“We don’t decide a prime minister based on ups and downs on a weekly basis,” the official said, describing how staff around Trudeau are still “one thousand per cent” committed to him.
“Through all of this, the prime minister is motivated by a sense of duty and service,” the source added. “You finish the job.”
Trudeau has insisted for months that he intends to remain as Liberal leader for the next campaign, but he has not taken questions from journalists since Monday’s surprise defeat in Toronto—St. Paul’s to Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
In the meantime, public calls for Trudeau to quit are mounting. Alongside Long’s letter calling for change, another Liberal MP told the Star on condition they aren’t named there is now a “small vocal minority” in caucus that is “trying to push” Trudeau out.
Despite this, the MP said they think Trudeau “can certainly survive,” but that he needs a “massive” cabinet shuffle and shake-up of his senior staff to restore faith and correct the party’s political direction.
Earlier Friday, former Trudeau cabinet minister Catherine McKenna added to the pressure in her own call for Trudeau to go. In a statement first reported by the CBC, McKenna said the time has come for a new leader. The former environment and infrastructure minister served for years in Trudeau’s cabinet, but has recently suggested former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney would be a great candidate for Liberal leader.
She declined an interview request from the Star, but suggested in her statement that the Liberal party can’t win the next federal election with Trudeau as leader.
“The Liberal party isn’t about one person. It’s about the values it stands for and it’s about improving the lives of Canadians,” McKenna’s statement said.
“The prime minister has a legacy to be proud of but it’s time for new ideas, new energy and a new leader. There is too much at stake in this election especially on the economy and climate.”
McKenna’s statement follows a call for Trudeau to resign from Christy Clark, the former B.C. Liberal premier. Clark told the Star on Thursday that she is being encouraged to run for Trudeau’s job if he does step down, and that the byelection defeat in Toronto—St. Paul’s — once seen as a Liberal stronghold — shows the current weakness of the party across the country.
Other Liberals calling for Trudeau to leave include Wayne Easter, a former MP from Prince Edward Island and cabinet minister under Jean Chrétien who served in Trudeau’s caucus for seven years until he resigned his seat in 2021. Speaking to the Star while cutting hay on his tractor Friday, Easter said the party has drifted too far from the political centre, and needs to change its priorities to focus on economic competitiveness and productivity. And to do that it needs a new leader, he said.
“The issue for the Liberal party, the Liberal brand anywhere, is the prime minister,” Easter said. “Bow out gracefully.”
Easter said it’s easier for him to speak out than it is for MPs who sit in Trudeau’s caucus, since the prime minister holds so much power in the Canadian parliamentary system, including the final authority to decide who gets to run in every riding.
“All the power rests with the leaders in the party, and I think that’s increasingly a huge problem for the country. And it’s the worst under Trudeau,” Easter said.
Asked who he thinks would be a good replacement as Liberal leader, Easter said he expects many contenders would step forward. He said Housing Minister Sean Fraser has “tremendous potential,” and named Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Carney as other possible candidates.
None of them has confirmed an intention to run for the job.
“It has to be some kind of fairly substantial change on the messaging and on the direction of the government as a whole,” Easter said. “You need a different voice, a different tenor, a different policy approach.”
Others in the party have publicly declared they still support Trudeau, including several cabinet ministers like Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. At the same time, some MPs have said the loss to Poilievre’s Conservatives signals the need for serious change to prevent a devastating defeat in the general election currently set for October 2025.
Patrick Weiler, a Liberal MP from Vancouver, told the local Pique News that Trudeau needs to do some “serious reflection” after the loss. Another MP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Star Friday that people in the party are “rattled” but stopped short of calling for Trudeau to go.
Cameron Ahmad, a former communications director for Trudeau, declined to speculate on leadership questions or how things may be playing out behind the scenes.
He said the Liberal party “is a democratic institution so it’s the right of every member to express their reaction to the result and air their concerns. Everybody needs to be able to do both.
“But everybody needs to see the bigger perspective and address what Canadians want the party to do (to tackle the issues that matter),” Ahmad said. “They also need to recognize the PM’s leadership has made a huge difference in the lives of Canadians. He’s overcome tough times before. And with the right strategy I’m sure he can continue to overcome tough situations like the party has been in before.”
With files from Tonda MacCharles and Mark Ramzy
