Other MPs call for secret vote on Trudeau leadership

Photo: Adrian Wyld The Canadian Press Justin Trudeau at Parliament, October 29, 2024

Michel Saba – The Canadian Press in Ottawa

Published yesterday at 4:02 p.m.

• Canada

Justin Trudeau's troubles aren't over yet, as another caucus meeting is set for Wednesday. Other MPs are now calling for a secret national caucus vote on their leader's leadership at a time when many ministers are pleading with the troops to turn the page.

“It's an exercise that's worth doing in a democratic institution like this. And I think it would bring the entire Liberal Party together behind the same idea, the same battle […] that is to say, to beat Pierre Poilievre. […] I really encourage that it happens,” said Acadian MP René Arseneault on Tuesday when he arrived in parliament.

Alberta MP George Chahal, who has also been discreet since the start of the questioning of Mr. Trudeau's leadership, also said he was in favour of the idea.

“I think the only way to know how the caucus members feel is to allow them to do it,” he said. “I will accept the results of the caucus members.” »

Outaouais MP Sophie Chatel said she sees “a growing demand for change in our communities.”

“One way for us to freely express the voice of our communities is really a confidential vote,” she continued in her plea to allow the party to “move forward together in unity.”

These MPs thus add their voices to those of New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, British Columbian Patrick Weiler and Ontario’s Yvan Baker, who all spoke publicly on Monday with the same request.

A leading light in this caucus revolt, Charlottetown MP Sean Casey, said Tuesday that he was convinced that Mr. Trudeau would lose such a vote. And he did not hold back in criticizing those who support the Liberal leader.

“I think that those who say in public that they prefer that the Prime Minister continue in his role, they are not listening to their constituents,” he said. “I think that a secret ballot will allow them to be the voice of their constituents here without fear of repercussions.”

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

While it is difficult to gauge the enthusiasm among backbenchers for a secret ballot, some rejected the idea out of hand on Tuesday.

“I am clear about my choice, so I do not need a secret ballot. I have always been very transparent. I say that I support the leadership of our Prime Minister,” said Montrealer Patricia Lattanzio.

Mr. Trudeau made it clear to reporters last week that he is here to stay, despite calls from about 20 MPs who gave him until Monday to resign. Their goal was to give him time to reflect over the weekend on Wednesday’s tense caucus discussions.

See also

• Interactive | The erosion of Justin Trudeau’s power in nine portraits
• The Bloc Québécois is working to trigger an election as soon as possible
• Video | Is Justin Trudeau clinging to power? | Interview
• Column | Justin Trudeau's final days

Ministers don't want to know

The many federal ministers questioned Tuesday showed no appetite for holding such a vote in the national caucus.

“The Prime Minister has been very clear: we're moving on,” said Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, the first to arrive at the caucus meeting after Mr. Trudeau, who did not say a word.

Mr. Boissonnault, who says he is “very confident” in the unity of the caucus, believes that dissatisfied MPs should not air their dirty laundry in public and that the vote cannot take place anyway because “we don't have that mechanism.”

Do you think you would win this vote, his colleague at Energy and Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, was asked. “We are united and we must have the focus on the issues that Canadians want,” he replied.

Justin Trudeau’s Quebec political lieutenant, Jean-Yves Duclos, also flatly refused to say whether he fears the outcome of a secret vote. And how do you prove the supposed unity of the caucus without a secret vote? ? “Because all that is discussed in the national caucus.”

On Tuesday, the co-chair of the Liberal campaign, Quebec minister Soraya Martinez-Ferrada, argued that Liberal activists voted for a constitution that does not allow the caucus to show their leader the door. “That’s what internal party democracy is,” she insisted.

Other ministers were more succinct in their comments. Defence Minister Bill Blair, for example, has repeatedly stated that he supports the Prime Minister's leadership.

Discontent with Trudeau’s leadership has been growing for months as the Liberals’ voting intentions have been dismal and the party has suffered successive byelection defeats in long-time party strongholds.

With information from Émilie Bergeron

This is a corrected version. In a previous version, The Canadian Press wrote that Wayne Long is a member of Parliament from Newfoundland. However, he represents a riding in New Brunswick. Furthermore, Randy Boissonnault is the Minister of Employment, not the Minister of Labour as indicated in a previous version.