Quebec MPs are increasing pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down as leader.
Quebec caucus president Stéphane Lauzon consulted with MPs individually over the holidays and communicated the caucus’ position to national caucus leaders, according to sources who spoke to CBC News.
A Quebec Liberal MP told CBC News that the consensus among them is that Trudeau should resign.
The MP spoke to CBC News on condition of not being named due to caucus confidentiality.
In an interview with CBC News on Tuesday, Quebec Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès says it has become “very, very evident that our constituents will not renew their trust in us” if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remains.
Another MP, Alexandra Mendès, told CBC News that she understands the caucus consensus is that “the prime minister should step down.”
“That has been the consensus that was communicated to the caucus president and that he had to transmit to the national caucus.”
Mendès says she was not one of the deputies Lauzon consulted. She says this was probably because she already openly called for the prime minister to resign weeks ago.
The Quebec Liberal caucus is scheduled to meet virtually on January 9.
Mendès also spoke to Radio-Canada in an interview in French and said the call for Trudeau’s departure was not “necessarily unanimous.”
Radio-Canada contacted all MPs in the Quebec group, but was unable to corroborate Mendès’ statements.
Only four parliamentarians (Mendès, Sophie Chatel, Anthony Housefather and Joël Lightbound) confirmed that they were calling for Trudeau’s resignation.
The four had already expressed this point of view at the beginning of the crisis caused by the resignation of Chrystia Freeland in early December.
The website iPolitics first reported the Quebec caucus consensus on Monday.
CBC News has contacted Lauzon, who is currently on vacation, for comment.
But in a statement to Politico on Tuesday, Lauzon said: “No letter from the Quebec caucus has been sent to the premier. Unfortunately, what happens in the Quebec caucus stays in the caucus.”
The prime minister has been vacationing in British Columbia with his family and is understood to be taking time to reflect on his future.
The Atlantic and Ontario regional Liberal caucuses have already noted the consensus among their respective MPs that Trudeau should resign, calling on the prime minister to step down as party leader last week.
