Dissenting Liberal MPs Ask for Secret Ballot on Trudeau Leadership

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 24, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Several Liberal MPs are calling for a secret ballot in caucus to determine the future of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership of the party. While some of these MPs have also openly called for Trudeau to step down, others either haven’t made their position known on the issue or have said the secret vote would help put matters to rest one way or the other.

Discontent with Trudeau’s leadership has been growing for months, fuelled by persistently low approval ratings and two recent byelection defeats in historic party strongholds. On Oct. 23 more than two dozen MPs in the Liberal caucus set an Oct. 28 deadline for Trudeau to consider stepping aside as party leader.

Following Trudeau’s swift decision just a day later to remain at the Liberal party’s helm, some MPs are now suggesting a secret ballot vote in the caucus as an alternative to his removal.

Liberal MP Yvan Baker has openly expressed support for the secret ballot vote, saying it would allow caucus members to vote without “fear of repercussions or consequences.”

“Given the fact that there are quite a number of MPs, quite a number of Liberals, and Canadians who feel that someone else should lead the Liberal Party into the next election, I think the way to move forward—for the sake of party unity—is to hold a secret ballot vote,” Baker told reporters on Oct. 28 while making his way to the House of Commons.

“I think a secret ballot vote is something that could unify caucus, unify the party, and also allows members of Parliament to vote without fear of repercussions or consequences.”

MP Sameer Zuberi supported that view, saying, “a secret ballot will put this to rest.”

“We need to have some finality to this,” he told reporters. “I think that would help us as a party to move beyond this.”

Other Liberal MPs who are demanding a secret vote include Helena Jaczek, George Chahal, Brendan Hanley, Rob Oliphant, Wayne Long, René Arseneault, Sean Casey, and Sophie Chatel.

Cabinet Response

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland rejected the idea of a secret ballot, saying it’s not in line with party rules.

“In our rules, the leader is not chosen by secret ballot of caucus members,” she said.

Other cabinet ministers also faced questions by reporters about the issue as they attended the latest Liberal Party caucus meeting on Oct. 29.

“I think we have rules and a constitution, and we agree on that constitution, and that’s not what we want to do,” Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada said in response to a question about whether she supports the secret ballot vote.

She was dismissive when asked by a reporter if she was worried Trudeau might lose the vote.

Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos did not respond directly when asked about the secret ballot vote, instead saying there have been “open conversations” in the national caucus.

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault backed Trudeau’s decision to remain as party leader.

“If you want to express yourself in the Liberal caucus, you stand up and talk,” he told reporters on Oct. 29. “But the prime minister—everyone’s been very clear—he’s a leader, he’s going to take us into the next election.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.