Trudeau says he’s not going anywhere after demand from disaffected caucus members

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed he plans to stay put as Liberal leader past the deadline of next Monday given to him by around two dozen of own his caucus members, asking him to heed their call to step aside. 

Trudeau was provided that date in a letter read aloud to him during Wednesday’s closed-door caucus meeting, which sources described as an airing of long-simmering grievances about the party’s troubles, leading to 30 Liberal members of Parliament calling on Trudeau to step down.

The letter asked Trudeau to make up his mind about their request by Oct. 28. Less than 24 hours after leaving that meeting, the prime minister delivered his answer.

At an unrelated news conference about slashing the country’s immigration levels, Trudeau was asked whether he plans to stay on as Liberal leader past next Monday. Trudeau responded with a simple “yes.”

Asked to repeat his answer in French, as in often the case because of Canada’s two official languages, Trudeau did so, this time with a succinct: “oui.”

The prime minister said the Liberals will continue to discuss how best to move forward and counter Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre with him at the helm. The Liberals have been badly trailing the Tories in the polls for more than a year.

“We’re going to continue to have great conversations about what is the best way to take on Pierre Poilievre in the next election, but that’ll happen with me as leader going into the next election,” Trudeau said, which earned applause from more than 20 caucus members who were lined up behind him for Thursday’s announcement.

Trudeau’s newly-revealed plan to slash immigration levels beginning in 2025 comes amid growing public concern about the impacts immigration has had on housing and other social services in recent years.

It was also among the issues that Liberals said they had been hearing from their constituents.

Another major one has been the cost of living, according to British Columbia MP Patrick Weiler. 

First elected in 2019, the backbencher went from being a relatively unknown name in the Liberals’ 153-person caucus to appearing in headlines for being the MP who read Trudeau the letter asking him to step aside during Wednesday’s caucus meeting. One Liberal MP, who spoke to the National Post on the condition of anonymity, confirmed Weiler presented the document.

Speaking to the National Post on Thursday morning, Weiler said he wouldn’t comment on what transcribed inside caucus. 

He said he would always push for what he’s hearing from constituents, which in this case is change.

“I think there’s a pretty strong desire for change and if we don’t provide the kind of change that people are looking for then people are going to make that change for us, and so I think that’s the message that was sent,” Weiler said.

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