Liberal backbencher says voters ‘don’t support the prime minister’
Unbothered by the personal cost public dissent comes with, Liberal MP Patrick Weiler, was quick to denounce Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership, stating that ‘If we don’t deliver … then [voters] will.’
Another Liberal MP has come forward to lambast Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, amid ongoing concerns surrounding his leadership.
Patrick Weiler, the Liberal MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, says his constituents are displeased with the country’s governance.
“They’ve made it overwhelmingly clear to me that they don’t support the prime minister and they’re looking for change,” he told Cowichan Valley Now.
After nine years in government, it comes as no surprise that Trudeau's popularity has plummeted, with less than a quarter (23%) of Canadians viewing him favourably, according to a recent Abacus poll.
The Liberal share of the popular vote has dwindled each term the prime minister has remained in office. Since winning its lone majority government in 2015, the party has lost 1.4 million votes, from 6.9 million to 5.5 million.
“If we don’t deliver … then [voters] will,” Weiler added.
Adding insult to injury, a CBC Poll Tracker shows the surging Conservatives with a healthy 19-point lead over the governing Liberals, a margin that would cost dozens of Liberal MPs their seats in the next election.
During a heated October 23 caucus meeting, sources told CBC News that some 24 Liberal MPs want Trudeau to go. That number increased to roughly 30 MPs, according to the National Post.
Disgruntled MPs have held closed-door meetings over booting their leader since June, though it remains unclear how that may transpire.
A Liberal leadership review can only be initiated through a “leadership endorsement” ballot after a general election defeat. But some dissenting backbenchers have called for a secret ballot to settle the score once and for all.
Although Weiler acknowledged a secret ballot won’t force a leadership change — as the Liberal Party lacks the mechanism to make it happen — he said it would provide clarity for caucus moving forward.
“Myself and a number of my colleagues are in favour of a secret ballot vote, so we can provide a conclusive resolution to a lot of the discussions,” conveyed MP Weiler. “It would be a good measure for people to weigh in on … what they feel is the future direction.”
Unbothered by the personal cost public dissent comes with, the member of Parliament remains firm in “asking some very difficult questions” of the prime minister.
“That is what people elected me to do as their representative,” Weiler said.
Among the MPs to openly oppose Trudeau last Wednesday were Sean Casey and outgoing Liberal Wayne Long. The former bluntly told reporters he does not believe the prime minister would survive a ballot vote.
“It’s coming from my view that the people that feel compelled to show strength aren’t being honest with the leader,” Casey said.
“At least we could move past this media feeding frenzy and preoccupation with internal party matters at a time when there’s significant issues facing the country and an election coming up.”
Liberal MP Wayne Long told CBC News that Trudeau must go to avoid an ‘ugly election result’ for the party.
“If we don't step in and make a solid change here, we're going to allow [Conservative Leader] Pierre Poilievre to govern for the next one, two, three terms,” he said, claiming “That would be disastrous for our country.”
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
