Justin Trudeau in Crisis: Liberal MPs Demand His Resignation Amid Growing Dissent
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is experiencing the most severe political hurricane to have ever hit his nearly nine years in power, as a rebellion from within his own Liberal Party mounts against him. For the first time in the politician's tenure, 24 Liberal MPs have called for his resignation. A once-new age for Canada has been encapsulated in the leadership of Trudeau, who has now found himself struggling with lower and falling poll numbers, ever-increasing grievances within the rank and file of his party, and ultimately leading to a threefold ultimatum: resign by October 28, or face further calamities.
The Secret Meeting: Trudeau on Trial
The saga played out behind closed doors during a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill. It was an atmosphere charged with emotion as 24 MPs presented a document calling for Trudeau to step down. The closed caucus session is a regular weekly caucus session, and it was in this session that MP Patrick Weiler, of British Columbia, led the charge in calling for Trudeau to step aside before the next federal election that must, by law, occur before October 2025.
The document did not clearly articulate formal consequences should Trudeau take a non-compliance action, but it does quite clearly talk about change in leadership: the country, however disastrous an election outcome for the Liberal Party may turn out to be, needs just that. To the MPs, who represent a growing constituency within the party, Trudeau's leadership has become a significant liability.
The nearly three-and-a-half-hour meeting gave MPs each time to speak his mind within a two-minute time frame. About 20 MPs rose to call on Trudeau to resign, which is telling as to the seriousness of the events. Other MPs defended Trudeau, saying there has to be open discussion to deal with party rancor. But there was no denying the tone and tenor-the time of Trudeau at the helm may be at its end.
Why MPs Want Trudeau Out
There are several reasons for this internal revolt. Where once he was hailed as giving new life to Canadian politics, Trudeau's leadership now appears increasingly to be holding the party back in achieving future success. Electorally, the most daunting aspect of all is performance.
It's the recent by-election setbacks in the traditionally safest Liberal strongholds-in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun and Toronto-that have sent shockwaves through the party, alarms raised because for decades, these seats had been secure for the Liberals. The loss in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun was seen as a devastating blow-the district, after all, had experienced decades of Liberal dominance. For many MPs, these defeats are symptomatic of a more general decline in support for the party to which they belong and which they attribute directly to Trudeau's leadership.
What has definitely added fuel to the fire is a series of public opinion surveys. The polls indicate that this time around, the Liberal Party is going to go through an electoral disaster at the hands of Trudeau and with a 19-point lead given to the Conservative Party. In his entire life, Trudeau has never been so unpopular than he is now, and his handling of key matters at the domestic as well as international levels is being scrutinized like never before.
The Housing Crisis and Economic Woes
Domestically, perhaps the major driver of dissatisfaction is the housing affordability crisis. Soaring property prices among high interest rates and record influxes of immigrants have created a perfect storm that has made housing unaffordable for many Canadians. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been quite quick to seize on that fact, condemning Trudeau for failing to get on top of the problem and suggesting he's even more interested in maintaining internal party squabbles than solving the country's problems.
Poilievre is a strong opponent who accused Trudeau of breaking the promise of a good life with all in the country. He quoted that Trudeau failed in every angle, particularly upon immigration and housing policy. In that heated debate in the parliament, Poilievre mocked Trudeau's use of the term "brokenist," saying that at one point, the prime minister was even "breaking the English language" trying to defend his record.
India-Canada Diplomatic Row
Apart from this, another reason that put Trudeau in an extremely vulnerable position is the way he handled Canada's deteriorating relationship with India. The diplomatic row was ignited last year after Trudeau had alleged in the Canadian Parliament that India was involved in the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was shot and killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey. Trudeau described the allegations as "credible," a claim India has rejected squarely, branding it as "absurd and motivated."
The after-effect of this has been massive enough with both the countries expelling ambassadors in the tit-for-tat response. It would not be wrong to say that the way Trudeau has tackled this situation has been gravely criticized at home and around the world. Most within his party think his approach is detrimental to the reputation of Canada on the international front, and this diplomatic mess has hurt his relation even more with the voter.
The other serious charge against the Trudeau government is the India row. Conservative leader Poilievre charged that Trudeau had benefited from past elections in his country through foreign interference, an accusation linked to China. Poilievre later maintained that Trudeau won two federal elections with Beijing's help; yet that never came to be true but was added to the view of Trudeau as a leader incapable of keeping control.
Divisions over the Party and Leadership Crisis
Liberal Party divisions no longer appear easy to ignore. With 24 of 153 Liberals in the House of Commons wanting Trudeau out, this minority influence speaks volumes about the gravity of the situation. Nine years of UPC under Trudeau's leadership have seen very good times and others far from good. However, this crisis may soon end up being one of the most crippling under his watch.
There is a growing sense among most MPs that there needs to be a change at the top to avoid an electoral disaster for the party. Perhaps that recent decision of US President Joe Biden not to run again once provides a template for the potential shake-up needed by the Liberal Party. Critics say, like Biden, that Trudeau needs to get off the stage and let the stage be taken over by someone else who can rejuvenate the party.
Yet Trudeau stands firm. He has indicated he wants to run again in the next election, and under pressure, things could become more problematic for him and his party. This would be a surprising decision in many ways, since no Canadian prime minister has won four consecutive terms since over a century ago.
What is Next?
Time is running out for the embattled Prime Minister, and all eyes are on Trudeau as he tries to navigate his way through the end of October 28 deadline. Will he succumb to pressure within his own party, or will he roll the dice on his future by leading the Liberal Party into what can possibly be an election whose devastating impact may in the long run determine much of Canada's political future? The stakes are magnificently high, and the outcome will most certainly determine much that is going to happen in the country for generations to come.
Of course, with the Conservative Party waiting in the wings, and Pierre Poilievre sharpening his attacks on the process surrounding SNC-Lavalin, the next move by Trudeau can decide both the political fate of the man, as well as the fate of the Liberal Party as a whole.
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