Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reponds to a question during a news conference in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
A group of Liberal MPs are making another attempt to oust Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from the helm of their party, but the move has angered some Liberals, and left others skeptical that this latest effort will be any more effective than previous attempts.
The Globe and Mail spoke with 15 Liberals, including 10 MPs for this story. All of them denied being part of the latest revolt and many of them noted that rumours of an organized ouster have been circling in the Liberal caucus for months.
The Globe is not naming the sources so they could speak freely without fear of repercussion.
With the Prime Minister and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, away on an international trip last week, sources said some MPs began organizing a new campaign to ask Mr. Trudeau to step down. A similar effort in the summer, after the Liberals lost a by-election in a Toronto riding the party had held for three decades, ended with only New Brunswick MP Wayne Long putting his name publicly on an e-mail calling for the Prime Minister to step down.
This time, sources say there is no e-mail or letter being circulated but rather names are being gathered to try and identify enough MPs that will make it difficult for Mr. Trudeau to resist the push.
Two of the MPs who were named by other sources as key organizers in the latest attempt to remove the Prime Minister said they had no part in the revolt.
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A senior government source said Saturday that no letter has been submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office. However, another source said the PMO spent the day making calls to MPs to take the temperature of caucus.
The Toronto Star first reported Friday on the latest efforts to push Mr. Trudeau out.
Most of the MPs who spoke with The Globe said they are frustrated by a lack of action from the PMO since the caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C. in early September.
After convincing his MPs at that meeting that the minority government had a plan to revive their foundering popularity, the Prime Minister has endured yet another rocky month: losing another by-election and having the government’s agenda in the House of Commons come to a standstill over a dispute with opposition parties about secret government documents.
The MPs who spoke with The Globe questioned why a new campaign director has not been announced – more than a month after long-time organizer Jeremy Broadhurst quit the post – and why there is still no sign of the promised campaign against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. They also said they want to see the Prime Minister release a forward-looking pitch to voters that explains why he’s staying.
Late Friday, Trade Minister Mary Ng said she had full confidence in Mr. Trudeau. She was travelling back to Canada with the Prime Minister from Laos, where they attended a summit of Southeast Asian countries.
When their plane landed in Hawaii for a refuelling stop, Ms. Ng said she turned on her phone and saw media reports about the efforts by some of her Liberal colleagues to oust Mr. Trudeau.
“I would say that I’m disappointed because Canadians expect us to be focusing on Canadians,” Ms. Ng said.
“I’m a Liberal MP and I have full confidence in Justin Trudeau as my leader.”
With a report from The Canadian Press