Trudeau Says He’s ‘Listening to Whole Caucus’ After Byelection Upset, No Plans for Meeting

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces a federal investment of $33 million to support three community infrastructure projects in Montreal on July 3, 2024. The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi

After putting to rest in recent days the possibility he could step down, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s listening to his caucus but would not say whether he would call an in-person meeting.

“I’m in the process of listening to the whole caucus, and not just from [members] who speak to media,” Mr. Trudeau said in French while making an announcement in his Montreal riding of Papineau on July 3.

It was the first time Mr. Trudeau took questions at a press conference since the byelection loss in the Toronto–St. Paul’s riding on June 24. He was asked repeatedly if he would heed internal calls to hold a national caucus meeting before an end-of-summer retreat.

Mr. Trudeau said he would not try to “sugarcoat” his party’s defeat by the Conservatives in the Liberal stronghold and that it’s something that needs to be taken “seriously.”

“We’ve been engaged in lots of important conversations,” he said. “I’ve had lots of calls with different members of caucus from across the country—not just in the GTA—to talk about how we make sure we’re continuing our work, connecting with Canadians to make sure we’re continuing to deliver for people.”

The prime minister said an emphasis in those conversations was on how to present a “positive vision” to Canadians to counter what he called the “rise of populism” and of the right across the world, which he said is represented in Canada by Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre.

Mr. Trudeau said democracies are facing challenges across the world and pointed to France and the United States specifically.

A majority of French voters chose Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally party in the first round of the legislative election on June 30. In the United States, voters will go to the polls in November to choose between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, although the latter is facing calls not to run again after his debate performance on June 27.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives led by Mr. Poilievre have built a solid lead in the polls over the Liberals in the last months, with a message centred on affordability and reducing crime.

The byelection in Toronto was expected to be nothing more than a good gauge of the Tories’ appeal and the dissatisfaction with the sitting government, hence the Liberal loss came as a major surprise.

The Liberals held the Toronto–St. Paul’s riding for over three decades before the Conservatives took it by 590 votes on June 24. The result has sown some consternation in the Liberal ranks.

Despite the shock, however, there have yet to be any major public repercussions. Liberal MP Wayne Long and former environment minister Catherine McKenna have called on Mr. Trudeau to resign, though other current ministers are standing by him publicly.

Asked about his future by CBC News on July 1, Mr. Trudeau said “there’s always going to be lots of reflection after a tough loss. But there’s also so much to do and I am committed to doing the work of building a better Canada every single day.”

If there is one notable change, it’s that Mr. Trudeau will not be attending the Calgary Stampede this year, an event he hasn’t missed except for the COVID-19 years of 2020 and 2021. His office has not provided an explanation.

Various Levels of Support

A few MPs have been speaking publicly about the prime minister’s leadership, but an internal letter asking for change did not have an impact. Mr. Long, who is not seeking re-election, wrote to his colleagues making a case for change but received little to no support.

Liberal MP Chandra Arya responded publicly to the letter, saying that although he’s not a member of Mr. Trudeau’s “Super Fans Club,” he nevertheless backs him to lead the party in the next election.

Members of the Liberal cabinet have expressed varying degrees of support for Mr. Trudeau, with some theorizing on the byelection loss and offering general explanations.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is one of the latest ministers to comment on the matter.

During a press conference on July 3, Mr. Wilkinson said voters “clearly” sent the Liberals a message.

“I think we all need to digest exactly what that is and actually reset ourselves and have a more robust conversation with Canadians,” he said.

The theme that the Liberals need to better communicate with Canadians and to continue on their current path of investments and social programs has been recurrent.

“I think a lot of us need to take a step back, screw our heads on a little better, stop the navel-gazing, and get back on the horse to fight for Canadians,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller on June 26.

Others have also blamed conditions in the riding for the loss.

Government House Leader Karina Gould, who is on parental leave, suggested that the Liberal Party candidate, Leslie Church, did not have enough time to connect with voters.

Ms. Church, a former chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, had been nominated on May 1.

She was seeking to replace former MP Carolyn Bennett, who last December resigned the seat she had held since 1997.

Ms. Church received support during the campaign from a number of senior cabinet ministers, but it wasn’t enough to stop Conservative candidate Don Stewart from taking the riding.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.