Freeland Says Caucus Meeting Will Resolve Liberal Disunity Over Leadership

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland speaks at a news conference on the government's economic plan, at National Press Theatre in Ottawa, on Oct. 8, 2024. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she thinks concerns about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership within the Liberal caucus will be resolved after members meet on Oct. 23.

There has been much hype around the meeting where some MPs are expected to ask Trudeau to step down. The last caucus meeting attended by prime minister was on Oct. 2.

Freeland was asked by reporters on Oct. 22 whether she believes the issue around Liberal unity will be put to rest once the caucus meets. “Yes, I do,” she replied.

“I am absolutely confident that the vast majority of Liberal MPs support the prime minister, support his leadership of our party and our government, and want to work together,” said Freeland.

Freeland, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, also said she doesn’t believe Canadians are interested in the current political wrangling as they face affordability issues.

“Canadians do not care very much, in my view, about a kind of sports competition style of Ottawa political coverage, that’s not what makes a difference in their daily lives,” she said.

Frustrated Liberal MPs have been reportedly circulating a letter to gather support to ask the prime minister to step down. The content of the letter and the number of signatures it contains have not been publicized.

Disgruntled Liberal MPs have also mostly stayed quiet, with Sean Casey from P.E.I. being one of the few to publicly call for Trudeau to resign.

Freeland said it’s healthy for her party to have disagreements and frank discussions, a view that was shared by other ministers throughout the day.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller, known to speak candidly, expressed annoyance about the internal party turmoil.

“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,” he told reporters.

Like Freeland, he backed Trudeau and said the “vast majority” of MPs also support the prime minister. He also said the entire cabinet backs Trudeau. No cabinet minister has publicly raised doubts about Trudeau’s leadership.

Four ministers recently announced they would not seek re-election, including Minister of Sport Carla Qualtrough and Minister of National Revenue Marie-Claude Bibeau.

The imminent departures from cabinet follow two others this summer, with Seamus O'Regan resigning from the labour portfolio and Pablo Rodriguez from transport.

The resignations started after the Liberals lost strongholds in byelections in Toronto in June and Montreal in September.

The prospect of the Liberals forming another government in the next election is dim, as they’ve trailed the Tories in the polls by a large margin and for an extended period of time.

Polling in Liberal ridings also suggests constituents favour replacing Trudeau. In a poll released on Oct. 22, Abacus Data said 57 percent of respondents living in a Liberal riding want their MP to ask Trudeau to resign and not run again.