A “vast majority” of the Liberal caucus supports Trudeau, says Freeland – National
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says she is “absolutely confident” in the majority of Liberal MPs still support the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a leader.
His comments at a news conference in Winnipeg on Friday came ahead of what promises to be a tense Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa next week as a growing number of MPs try to convince Trudeau to resign.
Several media outlets have revealed efforts by some Liberal MPs to take on the prime minister at the next caucus meeting on October 23, after more than a year of dismal polling and growing fears that their party will be decimated in the next election.
There is no mechanism for the caucus to force the prime minister to resign as leader, and so far he has had no hesitation in wanting to stay in office.
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“In any caucus, there will be a wide range of views. I am absolutely convinced that the vast majority of members of our caucus support the Prime Minister.
Details on the exact strategy and scale of the attempt to push Trudeau to resign remain unclear, although some MPs who spoke to The Canadian Press on background say the number of MPs involved is significant.
Freeland has expressed his full support for Trudeau, and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said at another news conference Friday that he could also count on his loyalty.
Joly encouraged MPs to speak to the prime minister himself at the caucus meeting next Wednesday.
“He will decide,” she said.
A fall election looks increasingly likely as opposition parties consider ousting the government in a confidence vote, and the Conservatives have locked Parliament in a week-long debate on an issue of privilege in the House.
Trudeau could avoid both problems by taking the controversial step of proroguing Parliament, which some political observers say would provide time for a run for the Liberal leadership if he were to step down.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is also considering reshuffling his cabinet to replace four ministers who do not plan to run again in the next election.
One of those ministers, Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, said Friday he would not leave because of Trudeau or the Liberals’ re-election prospects.
“That doesn’t mean I’ve lost confidence in our party or in the prime minister,” said Vandal, who was speaking at the same news conference as Freeland.
“In fact, I am convinced that the polls will tighten over time, and I think it would be foolish to vote against our party.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
