By Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reaffirmed his commitment to lead the Liberal Party into the next election, despite a group of party lawmakers urging him not to seek a fourth term.
After a three-hour meeting with his Liberal members of Parliament on Wednesday, Trudeau acknowledged the “robust conversations” about the party’s future but maintained that he would remain leader going into the next election.
More than 20 Liberal lawmakers had signed a letter requesting Trudeau to step down before the next election, a move that has not been seen for a sitting Canadian prime minister in over a century.
However, Trudeau’s Cabinet ministers have expressed their support for the prime minister, stating that he has the backing of the vast majority of the 153 Liberal Party members in the House of Commons.
Sean Casey, one of the signatories of the letter, expressed disappointment that Trudeau did not take time to reflect on the request but said he now considers the matter closed. Casey acknowledged that Trudeau had the right to make the decision and said he would focus on winning his seat in the upcoming election.
The Liberals currently trail the Conservatives by 38% to 25% in the latest Nanos poll, which has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The party has also recently suffered upsets in special elections for seats in Toronto and Montreal that they have held for years.
The federal election could take place anytime between this fall and next October, with the Liberals relying on the support of at least one major party in Parliament, as they do not hold an outright majority.
The leader of the opposition Bloc Québécois has threatened to work with the Conservatives and the New Democratic Party (NDP) to bring down the Liberals and force an election if the government does not boost pensions.
Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, noted that while pressure is building on Trudeau, some of his unhappy lawmakers have limited power to force him out due to party rules revised in 2016 that make the party leader immune to challenges while serving as prime minister.
Trudeau, the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, led the Liberals to victory in 2015 but has faced growing frustration from Canadians over rising costs of living and other issues like immigration increases following the country’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.
apnews
