Group of Liberal MPs plan to verbally ask Trudeau to step down next week
Liberal MPs who have spent the last 10 days organizing to formally ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside from the leadership of the Liberal party plan to plead their case directly to him at next Wednesday鈥檚 caucus.
Multiple sources familiar with the plan told 麻豆影视 the overarching objective is to be direct with the prime minister and keep the discussions private. Some MPs will be designated in advance, based on their comfort level speaking on the issue, to reflect the group鈥檚 sentiment that Trudeau should step aside for the good of the party in the next federal election.
MPs who spoke to 麻豆影视 on the condition of anonymity said they also plan to voice their frustration with the way in which the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office has handled the loss of two significant byelections in historically Liberal-safe ridings in Toronto and Montreal.
Those MPs were convinced by the prime minister鈥檚 communications staff at a caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C .in early September that a substantive plan was underway to react to the losses and sentiment underpinning them, but that never happened.
MPs in Atlantic Canada were particularly frustrated in their conversations with 麻豆影视 on the issue.
Since Friday, 麻豆影视 has spoken with 35 Liberal MPs, five of whom confirmed they endorse the plan to formally ask the prime minister to step aside.
The majority of those MPs said they are aware of the existence of such a letter but would not confirm signing it.
On 麻豆影视 Channel鈥檚 Power Play Tuesday, Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather did not deny the existence of a letter, nor that caucus wants the prime minister to step aside.
When asked if he supports the prime minister, Housefather replied, 鈥淚 support whoever is leader of my party at all times, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be a robust caucus discussion about who the best person to lead us in the next election is.鈥
Housefather insisted that discussion should happen within caucus, not in the media.
Each party鈥檚 caucus regularly meets on Parliament Hill Wednesday when the House of Commons is sitting. This week is a break week in the House鈥檚 calendar, but the MPs are scheduled to sit again next week.
The only thing that would change that is if the prime minister prorogued Parliament, something both the Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Government House Leader Karina Gould have both said is not on the table.
Earlier this week, the prime minister was asked about the possibility of a so-called internal revolt during a press conference on a separate issue, the serious allegations against the Government of India.
Trudeau told reporters that 鈥渢here will be time to talk about internal party intrigue at another moment.
But right now, this government, and indeed all parliamentarians, should be focused on standing up for Canada's sovereignty, standing against interference, and looking to be there to support Canadians in this difficult moment.鈥
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Interest rate drops to 3.75% as Bank of Canada makes another cut
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Does the updated COVID-19 vaccine protect against the XEC variant?
The XEC strain, a hybrid of Omicron subvariants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, was first detected in Canada in mid-August and the number of COVID-19 cases with the XEC variant has rapidly increased.
Bank of Montreal says website outage resolved
The Bank of Montreal says it has restored access to its website after an outage Wednesday.
'Unbelievably violent': Gisele Pelicot, French victim of mass rape, takes the stand
Gisele Pelicot, the 72-year-old victim of mass rape whose ordeal has shocked the world, told a trial in southern France on Wednesday that she was determined that making her case public should help other women and change society.
Children's clothing sold at Giant Tiger recalled for lead: Health Canada
A recall has been issued for certain clothing items sold at Giant Tiger stores over high levels of lead, according to a notice published by Health Canada Tuesday.
W5 Investigates How a clothes donation bin company passed itself off as a charity, while donated items were put up for sale
In part two of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5 uses trackers tp reveal a for-profit operation masquerading as a charity.
Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.
Liberal caucus meeting underway with a number of MPs set to ask Trudeau to step down
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's caucus is meeting this morning for its weekly gathering, this time with much higher stakes, as an evolving number of MPs is expected to confront the leader and ask him to step down.
Local Spotlight
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.