The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said more than 50 Liberal members of parliament from Ontario – the most populous of the 10 provinces and the party’s main stronghold – held a call on Saturday and agreed Trudeau had to step down
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. AP File
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose party looks set to lose power early next year, is under increasing pressure from his own legislators to step down and let someone else take over.
The ruling Liberals face obliteration in the next election after more than nine years in office amid voter fatigue as well as anger over high prices and a housing crisis.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said more than 50 Liberal members of parliament from Ontario – the most populous of the 10 provinces and the party’s main stronghold – held a call on Saturday and agreed Trudeau had to step down.
“There is no alternative but to have the leadership change now,” Liberal legislator Chandra Arya, traditionally a Trudeau loyalist, told the CBC on Sunday. As of last Friday, only 18 legislators had publicly demanded that Trudeau quit.
Last week, Trudeau suffered two major blows – then finance minister Chrystia Freeland quit amid a policy dispute over spending and all the opposition parties then said they would unite to bring down the minority Liberal government.
If he quit and the party had time to choose a new permanent leader, the contenders would potentially include Freeland, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, and former central bank governor Mark Carney.
Trudeau though shows no intention of leaving soon. The Globe and Mail, citing a Liberal source, said he would spend Christm