Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he’s staying on as leader even after 24 of his own MPs signed a letter calling for him to step down to save the party from what polls say could be a resounding defeat in the next election.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on the federal government’s plan to curb immigration, Trudeau said he’s not going anywhere, despite demands from some MPs that he leave by Oct. 28.
“As a party, we’ve always had robust discussions about the best way forward. We’ll continue to have them with me as leader,” Trudeau said.
“We have to ensure we put all measures in place to beat Pierre Poilievre and prevent him from cutting the programs and services that Canadians need.
“We’re going to have great discussions about how I can best lead the Liberal Party forward with measures to counter the disinformation and misinformation Pierre Poilievre is putting forward.”
Trudeau was confronted by disaffected caucus members at a party meeting Wednesday. He told members he’d take time to reflect on their criticisms of his leadership and consider his options. Less than 24 hours later, the prime minister said he had his answer.
Asked to state plainly whether he will stay on as leader despite the opposition from some of his MPs, Trudeau said yes.
“We’re focused on winning the next election and we’ve got a great team around us to do it,” he said.
Trudeau framed his decision to stay on as one motivated by a desire to block Poilievre’s path to power.
Trudeau said that, as party leader, he’s open to hearing from disaffected MPs. He said Poilievre is not.
Asked if he’d kick out any of the disaffected MPs who have led the campaign against his leadership, Trudeau pivoted to criticizing Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer, who made an appearance at what he called an “extreme, right-wing anti-abortion church” in Florida last year.
He also spoke about some Conservative MPs meeting with a German politician who has been accused of downplaying Nazi crimes.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberals are ‘united’ in their fight against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Trudeau’s comments come a day after some members of his caucus urged him to resign as party leader during a Liberal caucus meeting.
Despite Trudeau’s promise to stay on, there are still serious doubts about his continued viability as leader, given the level of internal discontent.
Trudeau could start an election campaign hobbled by persistent questions from his own people about his ability to win.
In addition to the 24 MPs who signed the document calling for him to go, Trudeau also heard directly from about 20 MPs at the party’s caucus meeting on Wednesday who raised concerns about his poor standing in the polls, sources told CBC News.
After nine years in government, Trudeau’s popularity has plummeted among voters.
The CBC Poll Tracker shows the Conservatives have a 19-point lead over the governing Liberals.
If that margins holds, Poilievre could be poised to form a massive majority government.