Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Oct. 29.Blair Gable/Reuters
A growing chorus of Liberal MPs called for a secret vote on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s future after his cabinet ministers tried to shut down the demands and argued it was time their party end the in-fighting.
On Tuesday, six more Liberal MPs added their names to the list of people who are publicly demanding their caucus cast a vote on the Prime Minister’s future as leader. Four other MPs had already made the request in the wake of Mr. Trudeau saying last week that he would stay put despite the concerns raised by dozens of MPs who fear an electoral wipeout in the next election if Mr. Trudeau remains leader.
“It’s something we should do so we can move forward, clear the air,” said Alberta MP George Chahal, who also argued it was the right thing for the Liberals to do as a democratic institution.
Yukon MP Brendan Hanley said such a vote is the “best pathway” for the Liberals to close the question of Mr. Trudeau’s leadership. “We need to have a secret ballot and move on,” he said.
Also agreeing with that sentiment are Toronto-area MPs Rob Oliphant, Helena Jaczek, and Yvan Baker, Atlantic MPs Wayne Long, René Arseneault and Sean Casey, and Quebec MPs Sameer Zuberi and Sophie Chatel.
But their colleagues in cabinet and others on the Liberal backbench don’t all agree.
Ministers argued Tuesday that such a vote would be against the party’s own rules, which leave the choice of leader to registered Liberals and not elected MPs.
“There’s lots of things I want in life I don’t get, with all due respect, they don’t get to dictate to the rest of caucus, nor to the party,” said Health Minister Mark Holland about the MPs requesting a secret vote.
“If they want to go to the convention and change the rules about how we select a party leader, then they’re free to do that, but they are not the Liberal Party.”
His colleague, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, said he believed the question of Mr. Trudeau’s leadership “pretty much is settled.”
“We’re moving on,” added Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault.
But the 10 backbench MPs are rejecting that view, with Mr. Hanley saying he expects the Prime Minister to address the request for a secret vote at Wednesday’s caucus meeting. The demand was first made behind closed doors last week.
“The case isn’t closed yet,” Mr. Hanley said.
Mr. Trudeau has been under immense public pressure from his own MPs for weeks. The issue came to a head at their last caucus meeting when 24 Liberal MPs signed a letter asking Mr. Trudeau to leave his post. The document was read to MPs behind closed doors but the names of the MPs behind it were never released – even internally.
In addition to the letter, dozens of MPs spoke during the meeting both for and against Mr. Trudeau’s continued leadership.
Liberal MPs don’t have an automatic way to force a vote, as Conservative MPs did when they chose to vote oust former leader Erin O’Toole in 2022 under the provisions of a law known as the Reform Act. Parliamentary caucuses must vote at their first meeting after a general election on whether to adopt the legislation, and the Liberals did not do so after the 2021 campaign.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland maintained Tuesday that despite the dissent from some in her party, “the vast majority” still support the Prime Minister.
“They support him as our leader today, and they support him as the guy who’s going to lead us into the next election,” she said.
But privately, some MPs have cast doubt on just how widespread the support for Mr. Trudeau is. Two MPs pointed to comments such as Ms. Freeland’s as more justification for a secret vote, questioning what the harm would be if the support for the Prime Minister is as widespread as ministers say.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the MPs who are not permitted to disclose internal caucus deliberations and feared repercussion.
Outside the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr. Casey said he doesn’t believe the Prime Minister would survive a secret vote.