Quebec Liberal MPs are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down before the next federal election, Media has learned, becoming the third regional caucus to do so.
The Quebec MPs have been discussing the prime minister’s fate amongst themselves since the House of Commons rose for the winter break on Dec. 17, and came to the conclusion Trudeau must resign, a source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Media.
Stephane Lauzon, who chairs the Quebec Liberal caucus, has been tasked to deliver that message to national caucus leadership, the source said.
News of the Quebec MP discussions was previously reported by iPolitics, citing sources within the caucus who said Lauzon had sent a letter to the executive caucus informing them of the MPs’ decision. CBC News and the Globe and Mail also reported on the conversations but did not confirm the existence of a letter.
In a statement released Tuesday, Lauzon wouldn’t confirm the private conversations or deny reports of the caucus’ conclusion that Trudeau should resign.
However, he said there have been no official caucus meetings since Dec. 11 and that “no letter has been signed or circulated within the Quebec Liberal MPs Caucus before, during, or after” that meeting.
Lauzon, who is currently vacationing out of the country with his family, said the Quebec caucus is holding its next official meeting on Jan. 9.
The Quebec caucus’ call for Trudeau to step down comes shortly after the Ontario and Atlantic Liberal caucuses reached the same conclusion over the winter break. It means a vast majority of Liberal MPs now want the prime minister to resign.
“Those are the major planks of the Liberal foundation, and if that’s the case, it becomes really, really difficult to see how (Trudeau) can keep going,” Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie University, told Media.
“This is death by a thousand cuts.”
The source told Media that Trudeau’s position was untenable and expects he would face a revolt from the full caucus if he does not step aside.
In an interview that aired on The West Block last month shortly after the House of Commons rose for the winter break, Quebec Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said Trudeau needs to go and that the “vast majority” of caucus colleagues he had spoken to privately agree with him.
A growing number of Liberal MPs from across the country have publicly urged Trudeau to resign since one-time staunch ally Chrystia Freeland abruptly resigned as finance minister and deputy prime minister last month in a shocking blow to the cabinet.
Trudeau is currently vacationing with his family in B.C., but Ontario Liberal MP Chandra Arya told Media last month he believed the prime minister was “seriously considering” his future.
“It’s the question of when — that is the key issue now, whether it has to be done now,” Arya said.
Atlantic caucus chair and Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois penned a letter to Trudeau last month, which was shared publicly by New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, that said it is no longer “tenable” for Trudeau to continue to lead the party.
Trudeau and the Liberals have been lagging in the polls for over a year but have hit new lows in recent weeks.