Justin Trudeau listens to the dissatisfied, but does not give in

Photo: Sean Kilpatrick The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was all smiles Wednesday as he made his way to the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Boris Proulx and Sandrine Vieira in Ottawa

Published at 11:46 Updated at 17:55

• Canada

Federal Liberal lawmakers spoke their truths to their leader, Justin Trudeau, at a Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday. When they left, it was clear that the leader would stay until the next election.

Among those who went to the microphone to speak behind closed doors, where only the 153 Liberal MPs were admitted, dissatisfied MP Wayne Long of New Brunswick was not entirely reassured. He acknowledges, however, that Justin Trudeau was a good listener during this meeting, which lasted about two hours and fifteen minutes.

“In my nine years in this caucus, this was the most direct, the most meaningful, the most honest meeting I have seen,” said the MP, who openly called for a change of leader.

He confirmed that the Prime Minister had acknowledged the contents of the secret letter criticizing him, signed by 24 MPs. Once this step has been taken, it is up to each elected official to decide whether or not to board the liberal electoral train.

The letter also reportedly includes an Oct. 28 deadline by which the prime minister must make a choice about his future, according to CBC. The decision to remain leader remains in his hands, since Liberal MPs have no formal mechanism to remove him from office.

There was no vote at Wednesday's meeting, although some MPs called for a secret ballot to gauge Trudeau's support among his ranks. The quiet mutiny he faced lacked a real leader and no clear demands.

The prime minister was all smiles Wednesday as he spoke during question period in the House, to enthusiastic applause from his MPs.

He did not stop to speak to reporters either before or after the caucus meeting on Wednesday.

A “united” caucus ?

Questioned as he left the meeting, Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the Liberal leader had no intention of giving up his seat and assured that the caucus remained “strong and united.”

“Mr. Trudeau has already said it very clearly. He also indicated that things need to improve,” he told a large crowd of journalists who were patiently waiting for the MPs in the hallways.

According to Minister Duclos, the party “took it for granted” that voters would “easily make the contrast” between the Liberals and the Conservatives in the next election. “But we see all the misinformation in view of the elections that will inevitably come in the next year. […] We need a stronger presence,” admitted the minister, also Justin Trudeau’s new Quebec lieutenant.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

His colleague at Immigration, Marc Miller, also said that Mr. Trudeau would still be leader in the next election.

Quebec MP Sameer Zuberi, however, was not as clear-cut. He would not say whether he still supported his leader, saying only that Mr. Trudeau had “some thoughts” to make. He still plans to run again under the Liberal banner.

“Everyone expressed the accumulated feelings of their constituents, Canadians. It was an honest conversation,” he said.

Quebec MP Sophie Chatel was identified by Radio-Canada as being part of the revolt against the Prime Minister. In an interview with Le Devoir, she would not confirm her involvement, given the confidentiality of the discussions held in caucus. However, she says she is happy to have had a “frank, open and difficult” discussion with the Prime Minister.

“It was a space where we could express ourselves and be heard. It was good. “We should have had this discussion a long time ago,” she said.

Contradictions

The few elected officials who admitted signing the letter criticizing the leader disagreed on its meaning Wednesday morning.

Dissatisfied Newfoundland MP Ken McDonald did not call for a secret internal confidence vote in the premier or for his resignation.

“If you listen to people and do what they ask, you will rise in the polls. If you do things that the public doesn’t approve of, you’re going to go down in the polls,” he explained.

Read also

• Liberal backlash against Justin Trudeau is overblown, ministers say
• Liberal backbenchers aren’t rushing to support Trudeau

Conversely, one of his fellow Liberal mutinous, New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, had argued that “what is best for our party is a change of leadership.”

Another signatory to the letter, Sean Casey, had indicated he would like to hold a secret vote on the leader’s future. “Yes, I would like to see a mechanism for that,” replied the MP for Charlottetown, P.E.I. He was the first to publicly call for Trudeau’s resignation.

Many Liberals are concerned about the poor showing in national polls, which has persisted for more than a year. Six cabinet ministers have also announced they will not run in the next federal election, including former Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez.

The last two defeats in byelections held in Liberal strongholds have deepened concerns about his leadership.

According to a recent Abacus poll, 57 per cent of Canadians living in Liberal-held ridings want their MP to ask Justin Trudeau to resign and not run again.

A national petition

As elected officials vent their discontent with the Liberal leader, a new petition from a “grassroots liberals group” (grassroot liberals) has begun circulating online. It calls for a secret vote on Trudeau's future before October 31 and a major review of the Liberal Party of Canada's policies and strategies for the next election.

“We need to do a better job of leveraging technology and modernizing our campaign operations in terms of voter contact, communications and fundraising,” Andrew Perez, the group's spokesperson, told Devoir.

In the second quarter of the year, between April and June, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party received more than $9.8 million in donations — $6 million more than the Liberal Party did during the same period.

“The fundraising crisis we’re facing is impacting our ability to buy ads and run elections. So this petition, yes, it’s about leadership, but it’s more about overhauling the party organization,” Perez said.