Trudeau under fire; liberals eye freeland for leadership
That builds on the MPs already opposed to him continuing, believed to be over a third of the 153 from the ruling party
Toronto: Pressure continues to mount on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quit, even as a movement is afoot within the ruling Liberal Party caucus for him to be replaced by Chrystia Freeland, who was Deputy PM and Finance Minister till her bombshell resignation, on Monday.
On Saturday, when Liberal MPs from the province of Ontario held a virtual meeting, over 50 arrived at a “consensus” that Trudeau should resign, according to the government-funded outlet CBC News.
That builds on the MPs already opposed to him continuing, believed to be over a third of the 153 from the ruling party. Some among them, the outlet reported, are for Freeland to assume the mantle of party leader, replacing Trudeau.
Among them was Indo-Canadian MP Chandra Arya, who was one of Trudeau’s strongest backers. But in a letter to the PM on Saturday, Arya said, “I have consistently supported you since last summer, even when some of our colleagues called for your resignation.
However, it became apparent today that you no longer hold the confidence of the House of Commons.”
He also came out openly for the former Deputy PM, writing, “”Chrystia Freeland’s resignation marked a pivotal shift. While I was disappointed by the timing of her announcement, I must acknowledge her exceptional political acumen. Whether by design or circumstance, she has emerged as a credible and stable alternative to your leadership.”
In a letter to Trudeau on Monday, she said she and the PM themselves “at odds about the best path forward for Canada.”
“On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the Cabinet,” she continued, adding, “Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the Cabinet,” she said, adding pointedly that she favoured “eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognise the gravity of the moment”.
Trudeau has told his caucus he needs a few days to reflect on the choice. He undertook a Cabinet reshuffle on Friday, bringing in eight new ministers.
Aggravating his woes is that his erstwhile partner, New Democratic Party or NDP leader Jagmeet Singho, n Friday morning, for the first time, stated he will bring the Government down. In a statement, he said, “The Liberals don’t deserve another chance. That’s why the NDP will vote to bring this Government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them. No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons.”
Singh’s statement immediately attracted scorn from the principal opposition Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, as he posted on X, “Ha! Now that Parliament is closed and there is no chance to introduce any motion for months — until after you get your pension.”
He added that Singh and his party “voted 8 times AGAINST AN ELECTION & for your boss Trudeau. Just 11 days ago you voted against a non-confidence motion filled with your own words. Had you voted the other way, we’d be almost half-way through the election now.”
Poilievre has also written to Governor General Mary Simon that Trudeau Minister had “lost the confidence of the House and that Parliament must be recalled to hold a vote before the end of the year.”
He challenged Singh “to match his actions to his word and likewise send a letter to Her Excellency asking for the same.”
Parliament had its last sitting of this year on Tuesday, and its next session is scheduled for January 29.
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