Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday (October 24, 2024) that he will lead his Liberal Party into the next election, dismissing a request by some party members to not run for a fourth term.

Mr. Trudeau met with his Liberal members of Parliament for three hours Wednesday (October 23, 2024), where he learned that more than 20 lawmakers from his party signed a letter asking him to step down before the next election.

He said there were “robust conversations” ongoing about the best way forward, but “that will happen with me as leader going into the next election.” No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.

Mr. Trudeau’s Cabinet Ministers have said he has the support of the vast majority of the 153 Liberal Party members of the House of Commons.

Sean Casey, one of the Liberal lawmakers who signed the letter asking Mr. Trudeau to step down, said he was disappointed Mr. Trudeau didn’t take the time to reflect but said he now considers the matter done and he’s moving on. Mr. Casey said Mr. Trudeau listened but wasn’t swayed.

“This was a decision he had every right to make and he made it,” Mr. Casey told reporters. “I did my job in voicing what I was hearing from constituents and now I have to direct my energy to winning my seat and not internal party matters. As far as I’m concerned it is closed.” The Liberals recently suffered upsets in special elections for seats representing two districts in Toronto and Montreal that the party has held for years, raising doubts about Mr. Trudeau’s leadership.

The federal election could come anytime between this fall and next October. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one major party in Parliament, as they don’t hold an outright majority themselves.

The leader of the opposition Bloc Québécois has said his party will work with the Conservatives and the New Democratic Party, of NDP, to bring down the Liberals and force an election if the government doesn’t boost pensions.

Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said pressure is building on Mr. Trudeau but that some of his unhappy lawmakers don’t have much power to force him out.

“Trudeau holds all the cards. It is up to him if he wants to stay. The Liberal Party revised its rules in 2016 so that the party leader is immune to any challenge to his leadership so long as he is prime minister,” said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

Mr. Trudeau channeled the star power of his father in 2015 when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity after almost 10 years of Conservative Party rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the rising cost of living and other issues, including the country’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liberals trail the Conservatives by 38 per cent to 25 per cent in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,037 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
| Photo Credit: AP

Some lawmakers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own Liberal Party asked the leader not to run for a fourth term, handing him one of the biggest tests of his political career.

A smiling Mr. Trudeau said Liberals are “strong and united” after meeting with Liberal members of Parliament for three hours. Three Liberals said they were among a total of 20 plus lawmakers from the party to have signed a letter asking Mr. Trudeau to step down before the next election. There are 153 Liberals in Canada’s House of Commons.

“He has to start listening, listening to the people,” said Ken McDonald, a Liberal Member of Parliament from Newfoundland who said he signed the letter, which has not been made public.

Mr. McDonald, who is not running again, said some of his colleagues who plan on running are nervous because of poor polling numbers. Also stating publicly that they had signed the letter were Wayne Long of New Brunswick and Sean Casey of Prince Edward Island.

Mr. Trudeau, who previously has said he plans to run again, didn’t take questions from reporters after the meeting. No Canadian prime minister has won four straight terms in over 100 years.

His Cabinet ministers have supported him publicly.

“There is what would you call some palace drama going on right now. And that takes us away from the number one job, which is focusing on Canadians,” said Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, a Liberal Party member.

Not all Liberal members of Parliament came out in support of Mr. Trudeau.

“It’s the decision of the leader of the party as to whether he stays on as leader,” said Ontario Liberal lawmaker Yvan Baker said.

Charles Sousa, a Liberal member of Parliament for a suburban Toronto area, said Trudeau is reflecting. He said he didn’t sign the letter.

“Trudeau made it very clear that he feels he’s the right choice but he appreciates all of what is being said,” Mr. Sousa said. “I respect his decision, whatever that may be.”

Mr. Trudeau’s Liberals recently suffered upsets in special elections in two districts in Toronto and Montreal that the party has held for years, raising doubts about Trudeau’s leadership.

The federal election could come any time between this fall and October 2025. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one major party in Parliament as they don’t have the majority of seats.

The opposition leader of the Bloc Québécois has said his party will work with the Conservatives and the New Democratic Party, of NDP, to bring the Liberals down and force an election if the government doesn’t boost pensions for seniors.

Mr. Trudeau channeled the star power of his father in 2015 when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity in 2015 after almost 10 years of Conservative rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the cost of living coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 38% to 25% in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,037 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

“The situation of the Liberals in the opinion polls is likely to remain catastrophic. Unless something dramatic and unforeseen occurs, the electoral prospects of the Liberals with Justin Trudeau at the helm look bleak,” said Daniel Béland, a politics professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Mr. Trudeau’s legacy includes opening the doors wide to immigration. He also legalized cannabis and brought in a carbon tax intended to fight climate change.

“He saved the Liberals back in 2015 but, over time, he’s become a huge liability for them,” Mr. Béland said.