'Maybe we should have a discussion': What Liberal MPs are saying about Justin Trudeau's leadership
As the federal Liberal caucus convened in Ottawa for its back-to-the-Hill strategy meeting, questions are swirling again around how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's MPs are feeling about his continued leadership.
While most MPs who were asked, as they filed in and out of the first day of Liberal caucus meetings, indicated a continued confidence in the prime minister three elections in, others suggested perhaps there's room to at least have a conversation to clear the air.
"I think the prime minister still carries a lot of credibility with the voters. Should there be a review? Maybe we should have a discussion on that," Northwest Territories Liberal MP Michael McLeod said.
He suggested this function could become a routine after each election, "to see if all the MPs still have that same commitment."
McLeod said that "time will tell" how the Liberals end up after the next election, noting some of his constituents have expressed an interest in seeing what other options are out there.
"I think the prime minister still carries the Liberal brand very well and can still do a good job," he said.
Ontario Liberal MP Vance Badawey said he doesn't see the need for a leadership review right now as he's focused on seeing his party "get better at the business of government, not getting better at the business of politics."
British Columbia Liberal MP Patrick Weiler said that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
"I have full confidence in the prime minister, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have that confidence," said Liberal Ontario MP Filomena Tassi.
The conversation around Trudeau's leadership bubbled up to the surface again Wednesday after Liberal Newfoundland MP Ken McDonald, in an interview with Radio-Canada, suggested Trudeau should face a leadership review to allow MPs to deliberate whether they think he's past his expiry date.
CTV News reached out to McDonald for comment but his office declined a request for an interview.
In a statement released late Wednesday evening, McDonald said he has "continued to serve proudly as a member of the Liberal caucus" since he was elected in 2015.
"The intent of my recent public comments was not to personally call for a leadership review, and I am not calling for one now," he added.
"As I said, I believe that the Prime Minister is a smart politician, a great campaigner, and I know he still has the best interest of Canadians at heart. I will continue to support my caucus colleagues and the Prime Minister as I've done since 2015."
This is not the first time McDonald has gone against the party grain. He made headlines in October for voting with the Conservatives in opposition to the Liberal government's carbon tax policy.
Chief Government Whip Ruby Sahota previously told reporters that she spoke with McDonald, suggesting "a clarification" may be coming about his comments, but she'd let him speak for himself on his continued role in caucus.
"There might be some misunderstanding of what Ken is calling for, so I don't want to prejudge that," Sahota said.
Echoing this, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon, who until a few weeks ago had Sahota's job, said McDonald "could not be more wrong about this one."
"Mr. McDonald, I think, has signalled he's probably not running again either … there's 157 other Liberals who are running again, who are firmly behind Justin Trudeau," MacKinnon said.
"We're enthusiastically starting a new session," MacKinnon said. "We're going to get results for Canadians … and the prime minister is the right man to be leading us through that."
Other MPs said they had no comment and walked past inquiring reporters on Parliament Hill, while some stopped to speak about the natural tensions there can be within a caucus.
"I've been in elected politics for 30 years, did I agree with every premier I served with, or every prime minister? Absolutely not," Labrador MP Yvonne Jones said.
"There's always going to be differences of opinions … Am I disappointed in Ken? Yes I am because there's days, every day, that as a politician when you're representing your constituents you don't always 100 percent agree with everything, but you work harder to change the result," she said.
Jones added that ultimately the only poll and the only opinions that count are those that take place on election day.
"It's his decision whether he stays or goes, what I can tell you is that as a Liberal, I believe fundamentally in the values and principles of this party, this party is always bigger than one person," she said.
This is also not the first time Liberals have gone public with their uncertainties around Trudeau's continued leadership.
In November amid tumbling polling numbers and a surging Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, longtime Liberal Sen. Percy Downe suggested that it may be time for Trudeau to step down to make room for a new Liberal party leader before the next campaign.
At the time, and in various public comments since, Trudeau has restated his intention and desire to lead the Liberal party into the next federal election — currently scheduled for October 2025 — despite some internal grumbling.
Trudeau is expected to deliver public opening remarks at the Liberal caucus retreat on Thursday.
With files from CTV News' Rachel Hanes and Kevin Gallagher
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’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s 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’t 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
Trudeau calls violence in Montreal 'appalling' as NATO protest continues
Anti-NATO protesters gathered again in Montreal on Saturday to demand Canada withdraw from the alliance, a day after a demonstration organized by different groups resulted in arrests, burned cars and shattered windows.
7 suspects, including 13-year-old, charged following 'violent' home invasion north of Toronto
Seven teenage suspects, including a 13-year-old, have been arrested following a targeted and “violent” home invasion in Vaughan on Friday, police say.
These vascular risks are strongly associated with severe stroke, researchers say
Many risk factors can lead to a stroke, but the magnitude of risk from some of these conditions or behaviours may have a stronger association with severe stroke compared with mild stroke, according to a new study.
Widow of Chinese businessman who was executed for murder can sell her Vancouver house, court rules
A murder in China and a civil lawsuit in B.C. have been preventing the sale of multiple Vancouver homes, but one of them could soon hit the market after a court ruling.
Cher 'shocked' to discover her legal name when she applied to change it
Cher recalls a curious interlude from her rich and many-chaptered history in her new book 'Cher: The Memoir, Part One.'
Black bear killed in self-defence after attack on dog-walker in Maple Ridge, B.C.
A black bear has died following a brawl with a man on a trail in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Retiring? Here's how to switch from saving for your golden years to spending
The last paycheque from a decades-long career arrives next Friday and the nest egg you built during those working years will now turn into a main source of income. It can be a jarring switch from saving for retirement to spending in retirement.
Canadian neurosurgeons seek six patients for Musk's Neuralink brain study
Canadian neurosurgeons in partnership with Elon Musk's Neuralink have regulatory approval to recruit six patients with paralysis willing to have a thousand electrode contacts in their brains.
Police thought this gnome looked out of place. Then they tested it for drugs
During a recent narcotics investigation, Dutch police said they found a garden gnome made of approximately two kilograms of MDMA.
Local Spotlight
The Thriftmas Special: The benefits of second-hand holiday shopping
The holidays may be a time for family, joy and togetherness, but they can also be hard on the wallet.
Video shows octopus 'hanging on for dear life' during bomb cyclone off B.C. coast
Humans weren’t the only ones who struggled through the bomb cyclone that formed off the B.C. coast this week, bringing intense winds and choppy seas.
B.C. man reunites with Nova Scotia stranger, 56 years after being saved from drowning
After driving near the water that winter day, Brian Lavery thought he saw a dog splashing in the waves – then realized it was way too cold for that.
'It's nice to just talk to people': Toronto podcaster prank calling Nova Scotians
Toronto radio and podcast host Jax Irwin has recently gone viral for videos of her cute -- and at times confusing -- phone conversations.
Lotto Max jackpot hits $80M for second time ever
The Lotto Max jackpot has climbed to $80 million for just the second time in Canadian lottery history.
'I'm just tickled pink': Childhood friends from New Brunswick named Rhodes Scholars
Two young women from New Brunswick have won one of the most prestigious and sought-after academic honours in the world.
B.C. man to cycle length of New Zealand to raise funds for Movember
Stretching 3,000 kilometres from the tip of New Zealand to its southernmost point, with just a bicycle for transport and a tent to call home, bikepacking event Tour Aotearoa is not for the faint of heart.
'She's a people person': Urban chicken inspires positivity in B.C. neighbourhood
When he first moved to his urban neighbourhood, Barry Devonald was surprised to be welcomed by a whole flock of new neighbours.
'A little piece of history': Winnipeg homeowner finds 80-year-old letters hidden in walls
When George Arcioni began renovating his kitchen last summer, he didn’t expect to find a stack of letters hidden in the wall behind his oven.