Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers remarks in Ottawa, on July 18.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Omer Aziz is the author of Brown Boy: A Memoir and a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University.
Something is rotten in the state of the Liberal Party. The polls show the Liberals tumbling toward electoral defeat when the next election is called. So unpopular is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Canadians of all stripes and backgrounds seem prepared to deliver the Conservatives the House of Commons in a landslide. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the fate of the Liberal Party itself is now at stake.
Let’s be honest: After almost a decade in power, Mr. Trudeau and the current Liberal leadership have run out of ideas. All the dynamism and energy are with the Conservatives. The anger today is singularly directed at Mr. Trudeau. This is not surprising. The Trudeau Liberals built their entire brand around the Prime Minister’s personal appeal; when Canadians soured on his integrity and effectiveness, they also soured on the Liberals. Should Mr. Trudeau decide to lead the Liberals into the next election, he will take the party down with him in what will likely be a generational defeat.
I say this as a Liberal, a former adviser in this current government, and a citizen: The moment of decision has arrived. Either we rush headfirst into electoral disaster, or we make a wise choice now. Otherwise, the Conservatives will decimate the Liberals and undo the entire liberal agenda. They will leave Liberals in ruins for years. The progress of the past few decades will be wiped out. It’s time for Mr. Trudeau to do the right thing for his party and country – and call a leadership race.
Mr. Trudeau has already been in office longer than a two-term U.S. president. If he wants to serve longer, when polls indicate that Canadians have lost faith in him, he needs to earn the backing of Liberals across the country. It’s now or never for Liberals to change course.
Under the Liberal Party constitution, the party leader cannot be removed unless there is a “triggering event” such as an electoral loss or incapacitation. Therefore, the only way for Mr. Trudeau to cede power now is if he voluntarily relinquishes it. This would be a democratic act, putting faith in the future and inviting newcomers to step up to carry the baton forward. If Mr. Trudeau believes he is still the best choice for Liberals – who have not had a say in the leadership since 2013 – he can seek the leadership again, but only in a fair and competitive race. Cabinet ministers and outsiders should also run and pitch Liberals on their vision for the future.
A leadership race now would only be to the advantage of the Liberals. It would show Canadians that Mr. Trudeau puts the country first and wants to give Liberals a voice in who should lead them. It would allow for a vigorous internal debate about what the party stands for and how to navigate the multiple crises Canada faces. It would welcome new party members to participate in the process and cast their ballots in a convention that would reinvigorate the party. Most importantly, it would show the public that the Liberal Party is listening to them – and is prepared to lead once again.
Such a leadership convention would also have the effect of draining media attention from the Conservatives for the duration of the race and blocking their momentum. The country would be focused on this contest of ideas. After an engrossing public race, the Liberals could reinvent themselves with fresh faces, new policies and a new agenda. The next election would suddenly become a competitive one.
In the United States, Democrats have shown that when a political party wants to move for change, it can do so. Joe Biden is the most powerful man on Earth and has wanted to be president his entire life; that he agreed not to seek re-election will define his legacy for all time. If the American President can stand down for the good of his country, then the Canadian Prime Minister can, at a minimum, give his party members a say in who should lead them.
Knowing something about Mr. Trudeau personally, I have no illusions about his desire to hold power. He is an intensely competitive person and believes that he can do the job better than anyone else. If his argument is correct, he should test it by allowing for a leadership race where Canadians will get to make their voices heard. Liberals should not be going into the next election half-tired, with half-baked ideas and half-expecting to lose. Liberals – and all Canadians – deserve better.
Ours is a pivotal moment in history. Democracies are backsliding; economic progress has been stifled. People are fed up – and rightly so. The Liberal Party can again be the party of tomorrow, offering hope for a better future, creating a rising tide that lifts all boats, winning the next decade – or it can continue on its current path and take the country down with it. The time for real change has arrived. Mr. Trudeau, the ball is in your court.