A growing number of Liberal Party MPs want to oust Canadian prime minister from his post as party leader
A group of Canadian MPs from Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party are planning to demand that the prime minister step down from his role as party leader, according to local media reports.
The faction has been organizing itself over the past ten days, CTV News reported on Wednesday, citing MPs who spoke on condition of anonymity. The lawmakers are expected to formally ask Trudeau to step down from the post during next Wednesday’s caucus.
The issue is expected to be addressed directly with Trudeau and kept private from the general public. CTV News said it had spoken to some 35 Liberal MPs over the past few days, with five of them stating they endorsed the plan to oust Trudeau.
Discontent with Trudeau’s leadership has skyrocketed within the party recently, particularly fueled by the loss to two important by-elections, in Toronto and Montreal. The districts in question have historically been dominated by the Liberals and considered to be safe bets for the party. Now, dissenters within the party want Trudeau to step down as leader ahead of the next federal election, scheduled to be held by late October 2025.
Speaking to CTV News on Tuesday, Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather did not explicitly deny the existence of the movement against Trudeau within party ranks.
“I support whoever is leader of my party at all times, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a robust caucus discussion about who the best person to lead us in the next election is,” he stated.
Some Liberal MPs have already openly voiced their opposition to Trudeau. Sean Casey, the MP for Charlottetown, for instance, claimed a growing number of voters in his own district have expressed their discontent with the PM and his handling of the party’s affairs.
“The message that I’ve been getting loud and clear – and more and more strongly as time goes by – is that it is time for [Trudeau] to go. And I agree,” the MP told the broadcaster in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.