Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will continue as Liberal leader past the Oct. 28 deadline given by some MPs calling for his resignation at the latest caucus meeting.
Trudeau was asked by reporters during an Oct. 24 press conference if he would remain as leader of the Liberal Party. He was also asked specifically if he'll stay on as leader after Oct. 28, which was reportedly a deadline stipulated in a letter handed to him at a widely anticipated caucus meeting on Oct. 23.
“Yes,” the prime minister answered simply.
“As a party, we’ve always had robust discussions about the best way forward. We'll continue to have them with me as leader,” he added.
Reports first emerged on Oct. 12 that some MPs had been in closed-door discussions around convincing the prime minister to step down. On Oct. 15, Liberal MP Sean Casey became the first to publicly call for Trudeau to step down following reports of the latest caucus revolt, saying he had received messages from his constituents “loud and clear” that it was “time for him to go.”
In the week following, several cabinet ministers came out in defence of the prime minister, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Trade Minister Mary Ng, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, and Minister of Public Services and Procurement Jean-Yves Duclos.
During the Oct. 24 press conference, Trudeau characterized his decision to stay on as being motivated by preventing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre from becoming prime minister. He said the party would have “great discussions” about how he could “best lead the Liberal Party forward.”
The Liberal Party does not have a mechanism for MPs to recall a leader during a mandate, meaning MPs would not be able to vote Trudeau out as leader as the Conservative Party did with leader Erin O'Toole in early 2022.
The Liberals have been trailing the Conservatives in the polls for over a year, with the latest Nanos Research poll from Oct. 15 showing the Liberals holding support among 23 percent of Canadians, compared with the Tories at 39 percent, and the NDP at 21 percent.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
