(Ottawa) Many Liberals closed ranks around Justin Trudeau on Wednesday in the face of the questioning of his leadership. Although he repeated in every forum before the holidays that he was going to lead the Liberal Party of Canada in the next election, the gap to be made up with Pierre Poilievre seems insurmountable.
“We are ready to face the challenges that lie ahead of us,” said Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge in a press scrum as the Liberal caucus meeting began the day after the cabinet retreat. “We know that there is still economic instability, there are lots of things happening in the world, but we are behind our leader,” she added. I still support it today. »
“I would like to know why people are fed up,” replied the member for Sherbrooke, Élisabeth Brière. We managed a crisis almost exceptionally, [on est] one of the countries that is doing the best. We have lifted a lot of people out of poverty, we are the ones who are doing the most for the environment and that, I think, is thanks to our leader. »
“I have confidence in the Prime Minister,” said the former President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier, MP for Ottawa-Vanier. However, she did not want to say whether she wanted him to remain leader until the next election.
They were reacting to recent comments by Newfoundland MP Ken McDonald. He said on Radio-Canada that the Liberals had “reached their expiration date”, that he was not sure if Mr. Trudeau was still the one who could lead the Liberals in the next election and that It was time to review his leadership. Neither he nor his team called back The Press Wednesday. The Prime Minister did not comment on his MP’s comments.
The latest Abacus poll carried out at the start of the year gives Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives a 17-point lead over the Liberals, which would be enough to form a majority government if an election took place today.
“I agree if [M. Trudeau] wants to stay, but I’m also open to the prospect of a review [de son leadership], indicated NWT MP Michael McLeod. If there are people in our caucus who think there should be a review, I have no problem with that. »
Such a vote of confidence is only provided when a leader fails to be elected as prime minister under the constitution of the Liberal Party of Canada. There is therefore no mechanism at present that would allow members to hold one. The internal pressure would have to be strong enough to encourage Mr. Trudeau to resign, which is far from being the case.
“Several MPs know him from gatherings in pubs that attracted ten people and in church basements when the Liberal Party was far behind in third place,” recalls the former communications director of the political party, Braeden Caley .
He argues that the polls were not favorable to the Liberals in 2015 and 2019 either and that Mr. Trudeau still managed to form a government.
“The polls are against us,” admitted northern Ontario MP Marcus Powlowski. Does that mean that inevitably I would lose if we had an election say this summer? No. I still have confidence. »
“The only poll that really matters and the opinions that really make a difference are those from election day,” summarized his Newfoundland colleague, Yvonne Jones.