Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes his way into the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 23.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
A high-stakes meeting between Justin Trudeau and his caucus saw dozens of MPs voice concerns about the party’s future, with dissidents giving the leader a deadline to respond to demands he resign as others were insisting that the party drop its internal battles in favour of a bigger one – stopping the Conservatives from forming government.
The divisions within caucus over who should lead the Liberals adds another layer of uncertainty to the future of the minority government, which could now fall at any time since the collapse of its governing arrangement with the NDP.
Mr. Trudeau was given until Oct. 28 to respond to the dissidents, but they did not indicate what the next step would be after that date, according to MPs who spoke both publicly and privately to The Globe and Mail Wednesday.
The Prime Minister maintained that he is the best person to lead the party into the next election, but said he’d reflect on the concerns he heard from his caucus, MPs said.
“The Liberal Party is strong and united,” Mr. Trudeau said as he left the discussions.
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His response to his caucus appeared to assuage some MPs, who described the meeting as a healthy, if long overdue, airing of grievances, but others left unconvinced that Mr. Trudeau ought to remain as leader, and say their concerns are far from resolved.
Those willing to speak publicly said what was clear is that some kind of change is required, and hopefully, is coming.
“The Prime Minister has to listen to the frustrations and in some cases, really valid frustrations of caucus colleagues, and incorporate that into changes,” said Toronto MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, one of the MPs who acknowledged speaking during the weekly caucus meeting.
“My colleagues need to turn the knives outwards and not inwards and we need to focus on the most important thing, which is getting things done here in Parliament and taking the fight to Pierre Poilievre.”
The Globe spoke to 12 MPs privately after Wednesday’s meeting, and is not identifying them because they were not authorized to discuss caucus deliberations and they fear repercussions.
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As one noted to The Globe – that fear extends to others inside caucus, which is the reason that the MPs who signed a letter asking Mr. Trudeau to leave declined to have their names made known internally.
That letter was read out during Wednesday’s meeting by B.C. MP Patrick Weiler, three Liberal MPs told The Globe, adding that the Prime Minister was told that 24 people had put their names to it.
Mr. Weiler did not address his role when asked by The Globe but in an earlier statement said that while he can’t disclose confidential caucus deliberations, he believes that “given everything that was said today, I think it’s really important that the PM and everyone in caucus takes some time to reflect.”
British Columbia MP Ken Hardie said that about 50 MPs went before the microphone to address Mr. Trudeau during the caucus meeting. All other potential items were swept off the agenda in favour of heading off an internal revolt that began to gather steam two weeks ago, when a group of MPs began seeking backing for a request that the Prime Minister resign.
MPs declined to publicly quantify the extent of the dissent that was expressed to the Prime Minister. Privately, two MPs told The Globe that between 20 and 30 MPs spoke out against his continued leadership, but two other MPs said it was less than that.
A Liberal party member of parliament arrives at a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Oct. 23.Patrick Doyle/Reuters
The closed-door discussion included some explicit demands from MPs that Mr. Trudeau resign, according to several MPs who spoke with The Globe. Some MPs also asked for a secret caucus vote on the Prime Minister’s leadership, according to two MPs.
Others made the case more indirectly, laying out concerns about how far the party has fallen in the minds of voters and Mr. Trudeau’s role in that. There were also those who voiced their support for the Prime Minister and urged their colleagues to regroup and not allow the party to dissolve into the civil war that characterized the final days of Jean Chrétien’s government, before Paul Martin took over as his successor.
The extraordinary nature of the caucus meeting was evident in the frenzy that awaited its outcome. Throngs of reporters were staked out at every exit point of the House of Commons, MPs’ staff were lined up three deep down a narrow hallway outside the caucus room, opposition MPs and their staff roamed the halls seeking scraps of information, and even tourists paused to listen in on corner conversations to get a flavour of the machinations of the day.
The close of the meeting, according to MPs who spoke with The Globe, saw Mr. Trudeau urge them to stay focused on the fight against Mr. Poilievre. As the wood panel doors of the caucus room flung open and MPs began streaming out, many were only willing to repeat that sentiment.
Others were freer with their thoughts.
Toronto MP Julie Dzerowicz said she believes Mr. Trudeau appreciated the urgency at hand and the question now is how he will respond, though she added that she supports his leadership.
“We need a game plan for how we are going to win the next election and how we are going to protect the progress we’ve made and the important policies that we’ve implemented over the last nine years,” she said.
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The tone of the get together, MPs told reporters, was respectful throughout, at times emotional, at times steely as Mr. Trudeau sat – with no other staff present – to take in what he was being told.
“People got to stand up and say whatever they needed,” Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien told reporters.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller, a staunch supporter of Mr. Trudeau and one of his closest friends, said he respected colleagues who are “brave and stand up and say things to his face.”
The issue had been simmering for some time, he said, and it was important for MPs to air their concerns to the Prime Minister “whether he likes to hear it or not.”
Mr. Miller said the Liberals “still have some stuff to sort out,” but he added that Mr. Trudeau has been clear in his intention to stay on and he doesn’t expect that to change.
Just before the caucus meeting, a group of grassroots party members issued a memorandum and a petition calling on MPs and the party’s executive to vote on whether Mr. Trudeau should remain as leader.
The memo described the unnamed organizers of what’s being called Code Red as members and supporters of the Liberal Party who are “deeply concerned” about the party’s state of affairs and “threats to its very survival.”
They want secret-ballot votes on Mr. Trudeau’s future held before Oct. 31, and in parallel, want the party to launch a widespread review of how it operates.
“This is about accountability,” said long-time Liberal Andrew Perez who is acting as a spokesperson for the group.
With reports from Robert Fife and Bill Curry
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with many of his Liberal MPs, said the party is united after a caucus meeting where some MPs planned to confront him about his leadership and push him to step aside.
The Canadian Press