A Caucus Divided: Which Liberal MPs Are Publicly Backing or Opposing Trudeau

Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather speaks with reporters as he makes his way to question period in Ottawa on March 19, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The resignation of Chrystia Freeland from cabinet on Dec. 16 again amplified divisions within the Liberal caucus on whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should stay on as leader, and some MPs previously mum on the matter are now speaking out.

Over 10 Liberal MPs have now publicly called on Trudeau to step down. This is still short, however, of the 23 who signed an internal letter in October calling for his resignation.

It appears at least some of the new voices being heard didn’t put their names on that letter and have changed their minds since the last internal crisis in the fall.

After a tense caucus meeting on Oct. 23 at which some MPs asked Trudeau to reflect on his future, Ontario MP Francis Drouin said caucus was “100 percent” behind the prime minister. On Dec. 16, however, Drouin said he had been a “great defender” of Trudeau but now Trudeau “needs to go.”

The resignation of Freeland, who previously occupied the two most senior government posts after the prime minister, has caused consternation in the ranks. She has since been openly praised by her fellow MPs and now-former cabinet colleagues.

Freeland said in her resignation letter that Trudeau had offered her another cabinet post on Dec. 13, the Friday before she was scheduled to deliver the 2024 Fall Economic Statement the following Monday. She said this showed a lack of confidence in her, and she quit on the morning of Dec. 16, just hours before she was set to deliver the statement.

Speaking at the caucus holiday party on Dec. 17, Trudeau said the last few days had been “eventful” and “it has not been easy,” while comparing it to family members fighting over the holidays. “Like most families, we work our way through it,” he said, without commenting on his political future.

‘Large Number’

Yvan Baker, a Toronto MP like Freeland, was on the fence in October during the mini-caucus revolt. He said he believed Trudeau would take the “appropriate time” to reflect on what he had heard during the Oct. 23 caucus meeting. Dissenting MPs had given Trudeau a few days to come back with an answer on his future, but his decision to stay on came within hours.

Baker’s stance later evolved when he said on Oct. 28 that he supported having a secret ballot on the party’s leadership. He went further this week, following Freeland’s resignation, when he said Trudeau should resign, adding that there’s a “large number” of MPs who agree with him.

“I’m asking him to step down and transition to a new leader, because I just believe it’s in the best interest of the country and in the best interest of the party,” Baker told NewsTalk 1010 on Dec. 17.

Baker said he’s heard from “countless constituents” in his Etobicoke Centre riding who want to vote for a different Liberal leader as prime minister rather than for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

The pressure on Trudeau to re-assess his future started building in late June, when the Liberals lost a stronghold riding to the Tories in a Toronto byelection. Pressure increased in early September, when the NDP broke the agreement it had struck with the Liberals in 2022 to keep them in power until Parliament rises in June 2025. Less than two weeks later, the Liberals lost another stronghold, this time in a Montreal byelection.

This series of events culminated in the October internal letter presented by 23 MPs to Trudeau. This week, the same day on which Freeland resigned, the Liberals lost another seat, this time in a B.C. byelection, trailing the Conservatives by 50 percentage points.

Liberal MP Yvan Baker speaks to reporters before a meeting of the Liberal caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 9, 2024. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

Repeating Call

On Dec. 16, two MPs who had signed the October letter repeated their call for Trudeau to step down.

“It’s obvious that Canadians across the country feel the same and want him to leave,” said Ontario MP Chad Collins in a statement. Collins said Canada needs to be taken in a “new direction.”

Patrick Weiler, a B.C. MP, also issued a statement saying this week’s developments “only reinforce” his call for Trudeau to step down.

Similar calls are coming from MPs across the country. The sole MP for the Yukon, Brendan Hanley, also told CBC he wants Trudeau to go.

New Brunswick MP Wayne Long was among the first to ask Trudeau to resign months ago. He was joined this week by three other MPs from the province, René Arseneault, Serge Cormier, and Jennica Atwin. The only two N.B. MPs not calling for Trudeau’s resignation are cabinet ministers, including newly minted Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

In September, Quebec MP Alexandra Mendès said that her constituents had had enough of Trudeau, though she stopped short of herself asking for his resignation. This has now changed, with Mendès telling CBC News Trudeau needs to go, saying she was “really affected” by how Freeland was treated.

Another Quebec MP, who has struggled with his party’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, also said he wants Trudeau to resign. Anthony Housefather told CTV News this week that he had asked Trudeau to resign “a couple of months ago.”

P.E.I. MP Sean Casey has also been advocating for Trudeau’s departure for months, albeit publicly, but he doesn’t believe the prime minister is about to heed the calls. He said the events of the last days “don’t change anything for [Trudeau].”

“There’s not a single indicator, in anything that he says or does, that would tell me otherwise,” Casey told reporters in Ottawa on Dec. 17. “He seems to be absolutely committed.”

Casey also said he would support Freeland in a potential leadership bid if she were to launch one.

The P.E.I. MP added he believes Trudeau is “absolutely convinced of his talents, of his abilities, of his intelligence.”

Liberal MP Sean Casey rises in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Dec. 11, 2017. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Supporters

Other Liberal MPs share that perspective, albeit from a positive standpoint, and have remained steadfast in their support of Trudeau.

B.C. MP Ron McKinnon said he “absolutely” wants Trudeau to remain as leader.

“He should stay on, because he’s been doing a good job,” McKinnon told reporters on Parliament Hill on Dec. 17. “He’s a good leader. He surrounds himself with top people and he listens. But there comes a time when you know a leader has to make a decision, and he'll make those decisions.”

Liberal MPs also commented around the time of the evening caucus meeting on Dec. 16, the same day Freeland resigned.

Ontario MP Julie Dzerowicz told reporters she has confidence in the prime minister. Judy Sgro, also representing an Ontario riding, said she “absolutely” wants Trudeau to remain leader. “He'll stay in as long as the Canadian people want him to stay,” she said.

“Of course I do,” said Ontario MP Maninder Sindhu when asked if he still has confidence in the prime minister.

Ministers have also sided with Trudeau, even though some were rattled by Freeland’s departure.

“This news has hit me really hard,” said Treasury Board President and Transport Minister Anita Anand immediately after learning about it.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller, a longtime personal friend of the prime minister, said Trudeau is “road-tested” to deal with the challenge posed by the incoming U.S. administration and its tariff threat.

“I have the deepest of trust and full confidence in his ability to lead us through these difficult times the next two months, which will be consequential in our history,” he told CPAC on Dec. 17.

Liberal MP for Davenport Julie Dzerowicz speaks with reporters about vandalism at her constituency office in Ottawa on May 29, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Reserved Comments

There are many other Liberal MPs who have avoided speaking with media or making public statements about their opinion on Trudeau’s leadership.

Casey believes this could be attributable to the upcoming cabinet shuffle to replace departed or departing ministers. Sean Fraser resigned as housing minister on Dec. 16, LeBlanc needs to be replaced at Public Safety after becoming finance minister following Freeland’s resignation, Anand currently already wears two hats, and three other ministers have announced they’re not seeking re-election.

“There are going to be a heck of a lot more interested in speaking out once they find out that they’re not going to get into cabinet,” Casey said.

Some MPs have commented without taking a firm stance either way.

Ontario MPs Peter Fragiskatos, Francesco Sorbara, and Adam van Koeverden all told reporters in Ottawa on Dec. 17, without commenting directly on Trudeau’s future, that now is a time for reflection.

Fragiskatos said Trudeau and the government have achieved a “great deal” in the past two years and there’s “more work to do.”

“And for that reason, I’m glad the prime minister is reflecting on the way ahead,” he said, while adding that at the “heart of that reflection, I think, needs to be a view that says that no individual is bigger than the country.”

Van Koeverden said he’s “glad” that Trudeau is “willing to be pensive and consider all options going forward, because that’s the type of thoughtful response to that threat that we need.”

The House of Commons will be on a break until Jan. 27. Meanwhile, Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20 and has promised to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico as soon as he takes office if they don’t bolster border security to stop illegal migration and drug smuggling.

Ottawa presented its border plan on Dec. 17, which includes a host of measures such as increased surveillance and proposes establishing a joint strike force across North America to target transnational organized crime.

Jennifer Cowan contributed to this report.