A Liberal MP who has called for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign says the “vast majority” of caucus colleagues he has spoken to feel the same way.
Trudeau’s leadership has been on shaky ground for months, but became shakier on Monday after his former ally Chrystia Freeland resigned from cabinet, plunging the government into chaos.
Since then, a growing number of Liberal MPs have publicly called on Trudeau to step aside and make way for a new Liberal leader ahead of a likely early election.
One of those MPs is Anthony Housefather, who says there are “several reasons” why he feels Trudeau’s time is up.
“The main one is that Canadians have clearly lost confidence in him, and Canadians want him gone,” Housefather told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview broadcast Sunday night. The West Block.
“It is clear that he has been ignored and that he is not the best person to convey our party’s message in the next election.”
An Ipsos poll conducted for Global News and released Friday found that nearly three-quarters of Canadians want Trudeau to resign, while support for the Liberals is at a near-record low of just 20 per cent.
Just over half of Canadians told Ipsos they want an election to happen as soon as possible, ahead of schedule for October 2025.
Housefather said if Trudeau stays, the next election will become a referendum on whether Canadians want him to remain prime minister, rather than comparing the Liberals’ overall political agenda with that of the growing Conservative Party.
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A new leader could help the Liberals offer “a more centrist vision” than the progressive agenda led by Trudeau, allowing the party to offer changes at a time when Canadians want it, Housefather added.
“The vast majority of people I talk to recognize it,” he said. “They know that we are on the edge of the precipice. “This is the last time our leader can change and I think they would like that to happen.”
He added that “the significant majority of MPs I’m speaking to” believe Trudeau “has no path to remain” as Liberal leader.
Housefather said that if Trudeau were to resign in the coming days or weeks, the group could vote for an interim leader to serve as prime minister during a leadership election or even, “theoretically,” in the next election.
Canada has never before had an interim prime minister. When former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney faced falling polls and announced his retirement in 1993, he did so by saying he would step aside once a leadership convention had determined his successor, who became former Prime Minister Kim Campbell.
Although the Liberals’ constitution sets a 91-day period for a leadership convention, Housefather says the national executive could speed up the timeline while ensuring candidates have the opportunity to meet with Liberal members across the country.
“I think you could do that in less than two months,” he said. “I think that would be the best approach.”
Housefather said it would be “normal” for Trudeau to prorogue Parliament until the leadership convention is complete and a new leader can return to the House of Commons to deliver a speech from the Throne.
The extension would dissolve all legislative business and committee activity until the next session begins.
A new Throne Speech, or a new statement from the government about its vision, is required to reconvene Parliament after a prorogation and needs the support of at least one opposition party in a minority government situation.
All opposition parties have promised to vote on a confidence motion against the government as soon as possible, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was the latest to say so on Friday.
Housefather said his priority is for Trudeau to resign as soon as possible, regardless of what process is put in place to replace him.
“I think the immediate step you need to take is to show Canadians that you’ve heard the message,” he said. “He has done many wonderful things for the country, but now is the time.
“All great leaders must recognize that there is a certain time to leave,” Housefather continued. “I think he left it a little late, but I think he can still preserve his legacy if he does this relatively quickly.”
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