Liberal MP endorses 'robust caucus discussion' about whether Trudeau should still lead the party
Amid mounting pressure from within the Liberal caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider stepping down as party leader, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says there should be 鈥渞obust鈥 conversations on the topic.
When asked directly during an interview on 麻豆影视 Channel鈥檚 Power Play whether he supports Trudeau鈥檚 continued leadership of the party, Housefather wouldn鈥檛 say.
鈥淚 support whoever is leader of my party at all times,鈥 he told host Vassy Kapelos. 鈥淏ut 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
鈥淎nd that discussion should happen in caucus,鈥 he added. 鈥淚t shouldn't happen in the media.鈥
But when pressed on whether he has taken part in said discussions, Housefather wouldn鈥檛 directly say.
鈥淚 certainly hope the entire caucus and the prime minister are part of that discussion,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t's discussions that are ongoing, and should happen in every party, at all times.鈥
鈥淓very party wants to win the next election, and you've got to talk about what is the best way for us to win the next election, the best way for us to do well, the best way for us to respond to Canadians, and I think that should happen within caucus, and that's where I intend to have those discussions,鈥 Housefather added.
On Friday, 麻豆影视 reported that a group of backbench MPs, primarily from Atlantic Canada and southwestern Ontario, had been in discussions for days to formally ask for the prime minister to consider the future of the Liberal party when deciding whether to stay at the helm of it.
News of an internal push to oust Trudeau was first reported by the Toronto Star.
The story broke while the prime minister was in the air, on a flight home from an international trade summit in Laos.
Last spring, Housefather 鈥 who has been a Liberal since he was a teenager 鈥 made headlines for stating he hadn鈥檛 ruled out crossing the floor to join the Conservative Party, over disagreements within the Liberal caucus when it comes to recognizing Palestinian statehood.
After weeks of deliberation, Housefather ultimately decided to stay in the Liberal caucus, writing in a lengthy statement his 鈥渃ore values remain Liberal ones.鈥
He was subsequently appointed the Prime Minister鈥檚 Special Advisor on Jewish Community Relations and Antisemitism in July.
In Tuesday's interview, Housefather also discussed Canada鈥檚 decision to list the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist entity, something he has been advocating for, for 鈥渁n extended period of time.鈥
鈥淚 think I got the job of special advisor because I spoke truth to power, and I publicly stated that I thought we weren't doing enough,鈥 Housefather said.
鈥淚 think there has been a considerable change, and a considerable understanding of how important it is to tackle hate domestically, and not allow conflicts across the world to ferment hate here in Canada,鈥 he also said. 鈥淎ll communities have a right to live peacefully in Canada, and that includes Jews.鈥
You can watch Housefather鈥檚 full interview on CTV Power Play in the video player at the top of this article.
With files from 麻豆影视鈥 Rachel Aiello and Stephanie Ha
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
W5 Investigates You donated clothing to needy Canadians. So how did it end up in Africa?
In the first of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5 puts a spotlight on how some of the clothes Canadians donate to charity end up in markets in Africa.
Tropical Storm Oscar swirls toward the Bahamas after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
Tropical Storm Oscar chugged toward the Bahamas on Tuesday after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane, killing at least six people as it unleashed heavy rains on an island also hit by an unrelated massive power outage.
A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn鈥檛 have had to pay.
Woman wedged upside down between rocks for 7 hours after trying to retrieve her phone
A woman who tried to retrieve her lost phone from between boulders in Australia鈥檚 Hunter Valley became stuck upside down for seven hours before she was rescued earlier this month.
Ontario Provincial Police charged an impaired Vermont man who illegally crossed the border into Canada and thought he was still in the United States.
Italian surfer dies after being impaled by fish off the coast of Indonesia
An Italian surfer has died after being impaled in the chest by a sharp-billed fish while surfing off Indonesia鈥檚 West Sumatra coast.
Huge ransoms paid out by some Canadian businesses amid rising cyberattacks: StatCan
Some businesses paid a ransom of more than $500,000 after a cyberattack last year, new Statistics Canada data revealed.
Initial report shows Liam Payne had cocaine in his system when he died, says Argentine official
An initial toxicology report for ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died last week after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, showed that he had cocaine in his system after his death, an Argentine official said.
A giant meteorite boiled the oceans 3.2 billion years ago, but provided a 'fertilizer bomb' for life
A massive space rock, estimated to be the size of four Mount Everests, slammed into Earth more than 3 billion years ago 鈥 and the impact could have been unexpectedly beneficial for the earliest forms of life on our planet, according to new research.
Local Spotlight
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.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.