Cabinet minister who is quitting voices confidence in Trudeau

OTTAWA -

One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.

Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal said he wanted a break after 30 years in politics. He and three other second-tier ministers in the 38-member cabinet will soon leave their posts after announcing they would not run again for office.

"It does not mean that I've lost confidence in our party or the prime minister," Vandal told reporters in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

"In fact, I'm very confident that the polls are going to tighten up as time goes on, and I think it would be foolish to vote against the Liberal Party."

Canadian media outlets say a group of Liberal legislators is planning next week to ask Trudeau to step down amid increasing voter fatigue after nine years in power. Polls indicate the opposition right-of-center Conservatives will easily win the next election, which must be held by end-October 2025.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, pressed about reports of internal division, said that while there was a range of views inside the caucus, she was confident the vast majority of Liberal legislators backed Trudeau.

The Conservatives blame the Liberals for inflation that spiked during the COVID pandemic and prompted the Bank of Canada to raise interest rates to 20-year highs.

"That was really, really hard, and it's still hard," said Freeland, who noted that inflation was now below the central bank's 2 per cent target. The bank is expected to cut rates by a larger-than-usual 50 basis points next week.

"There is real relief already, and more relief coming, and that is important for Canadians," Freeland said, adding that she was 100 per cent committed to running in the next election.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Leslie Adler)