A Liberal MP says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should resign as party leader, and that the number of people concerned about the prime minister’s leadership “is wider than meets the eye.”
“The message that I’ve been getting loud and clear, and more and more strongly as time goes by, is that it is time for [Trudeau] to go, and I agree,” Sean Casey, MP for Charlottetown,
told CBC News’ Power & Politics on Oct. 15, adding that those who share the same views “seem to be becoming more emboldened with the passage of time.”
While other current and former Liberal MPs had previously said Trudeau should step down, Casey is the first caucus member to publicly call for Trudeau’s resignation since
reports emerged last week that a group of Liberal MPs are banding together behind-the-scenes to convince Trudeau to step down.
Casey said he is aware of meetings some Liberal MPs have held to discuss the party’s future, and that he has heard of a pledge some are signing to call for Trudeau’s resignation. He said he has not taken part in such meetings or seen such a document firsthand.
Liberals have been trailing Conservatives by 20 points in polls in recent months, and lost two key byelections that were previously long-time Liberal strongholds. Trudeau has said that he’s not planning to step down.
“There’s more work to do, and we’re going to stay focused on doing it,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Sept. 17, a day after his party’s loss to Bloc Québécois in the Montreal riding of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, which was previously a Liberal stronghold.
When asked about the latest reported caucus revolt on Oct. 14,
Trudeau said it was not the time to talk about “internal party intrigue” amid the diplomatic row with India, referring to tensions that arose after the
RCMP announced earlier in the day that agents of the Indian government were involved in “serious criminal activity” in Canada.
“There will be time to talk about internal party intrigue at another moment, but right now, this government, and indeed all parliamentarians, should be focused on standing up for Canada’s sovereignty, standing against interference, and looking to be there to support Canadians in this difficult moment,” Trudeau said at a press conference.
Public calls from inside the party for Trudeau to step down first started in the summer after the Liberals lost the byelection in Toronto–St. Paul’s to the Conservatives. The Liberals had previously held the riding since 1993.
Shortly after that defeat, Liberal MP Wayne Long, who represents Saint John—Rothesay in New Brunswick,
wrote an email to caucus members in June saying it’s time for Trudeau to go. He later repeated his position in media interviews. Other former Liberal MPs, including former Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, also said at the time publicly that Trudeau should go.
On the sidelines of the Liberals’ caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., in September, Quebec Liberal MP
Alexandra Mendès said “dozens and dozens” of her constituents wanted to see Trudeau go, although she was not among those calling for his resignation.
Trudeau’s senior cabinet ministers have stood by him. Most recently, Trade Minister Mary Ng
said in response to the latest reported caucus revolt that she has confidence in Trudeau’s leadership.
“I would say that I’m disappointed because Canadians expect us to be focusing on Canadians,” Ng said on Oct. 12. “I’m a Liberal MP and I have full confidence in Justin Trudeau as my leader.”
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
