According to sources, a special meeting of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s National Liberal group has been called for next Wednesday.
The Liberal group’s regional chairs met Friday afternoon to discuss Trudeau’s continued leadership and next steps. The prime minister was back in Ottawa today, but has yet to signal that he is ready to address growing calls for his resignation.
During that virtual call, regional caucus representatives were to ask national caucus chair Brenda Shanahan to consider calling a meeting of all Liberal MPs.
That request was granted and it will be a long meeting, with Trudeau facing his MPs for the first time since he told them he would reflect on his political future over the holidays.
This comes as some MPs are pushing for a more formal request to resign to be made to the prime minister, or at least for a timetable to be set for deciding whether he intends to remain as party leader.
According to a copy of an email sent by Shanahan to the national caucus, the “special hybrid meeting” will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, and MPs will be “encouraged” to attend in person at West Block, or virtually via Zoom. .
“When accessing the National Caucus via Zoom, members are expected to be alone in a closed confidential space, with their face visible at all times on the screen,” Shanahan’s email reads, noting the conventionally confidential nature of caucus deliberations.
“Any use of a cell phone or talking to third parties or other inappropriate activity while on the Zoom link will be grounds for being disconnected from Zoom without notice at the discretion of the President.”
Regional caucus meetings will be held early, next Monday and Tuesday, the email states.
“They are thinking about… what they will do if the prime minister decides that he is not going to announce his departure. How do they… come together and put maximum pressure on the prime minister, make it obvious that he cannot stay and ensure that commitment of departure on his part,” said Scott Reid, a CTV News political analyst and former communications director for then-Premier Paul Martin.
This meeting comes after calls from caucus members across the country for Trudeau to resign grew over the holidays.
On Friday night, another member of Parliament added his name to that list. Winnipeg South Center MP Ben Carr said in an open letter he believes it’s time for the party to go in a different direction.
“I am calling for a change in the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada,” Carr wrote. “I do not make this decision easily, nor do I make it happily. Far from it. It is the culmination of daily conversations… over an extended period, of which a clear belief has emerged that it is time for change.
While the caucus will reconvene next week, Liberal supporters have already begun contemplating the party’s leadership rules and the types of preparations needed for a potentially accelerated race.
“There is a very lively debate behind the scenes within the Liberal Party about how to select the next leader. People are already looking beyond the prime minister. And the challenge they have is that the parliamentary calendar and the constitution of the Liberal Party, which dictates how and when to elect a new leader, those things are starting to collide,” Reid said.
“There is so little time left in the parliamentary calendar. There is such a serious threat that the government will be defeated in the spring, that the desire to elect a new leader and how they are going to choose him, is a big topic of discussion.”
Trudeau returns to Ottawa
Trudeau, after a week out west with his family, was not expected to be part of today’s caucus chairs meeting. However, he did make his first brief public appearance of the new year, visiting the US Embassy in Ottawa to sign the book of condolence for former President Jimmy Carter.
The prime minister did not speak to the cameras gathered to capture the moment. He largely kept a neutral face and had facial hair reminiscent of what he sported while handling the COVID-19 crisis.
According to the authorized reporter in the room, Trudeau wrote: “As a leader, president and humanitarian, Jimmy Carter left the world a better place. A fundamentally decent man, he demonstrated what it means to live a life of purpose, for “I will always be grateful for your thoughtful advice and I will continue to be inspired by your extraordinary life from your 41 million Canadian neighbors: Merci, Jimmy.
Earlier, the prime minister attended a morning meeting of the Canada-U.S. cabinet committee.
The meeting of ministers, charged with managing relations with the incoming Donald Trump administration, was expected to include some discussion of the meeting of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly in Mar -a-Lago last week. No formal reading of the meeting has been issued.
At a news conference in Parliament on Friday morning, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May offered her suggestions on how Canada should prepare for Trump, saying the country needs strong leadership to defend this country against the “state 51″ of the next president. ” talk.
Asked if she thinks Trudeau can still be that leader, May said “sure,” but because “we’re not a country that relies on a prime minister solely for leadership.”
“Obviously, Justin Trudeau’s position is fragile. That doesn’t mean Canada’s position is fragile,” he said.
As for whether she thinks it’s time for the prime minister to resign, May said she was hesitant to comment.
“I think the prime minister obviously has to consider his role as leader of the Liberal Party. But I do think it’s an internal issue for the Liberals,” May said.
“I’m not in your shoes, and I think Chrystia Freeland’s resignation and the circumstances under which she was fired from her cabinet just before the fall economic statement call into question Justin Trudeau’s judgment.”
With files from Judy Trinh, Vassy Kapelos, Stephanie Ha and Mike Le Couteur of CTV News
