Trudeau says he hears Canadians’ ‘concerns and frustration’ after dramatic by-election loss – CBC.ca Achi-News

Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he hears the “concern and frustration” of Canadians as questions arise about his future as Liberal leader following his party’s stunning by-election loss.

Conservative Don Stewart won the federal Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul’s in the early hours of Tuesday in a dramatic victory, ending a race that was largely seen as a referendum on Trudeau’s leadership.

“Obviously this is not the result we wanted, but I want to be clear that I hear your concerns and your frustrations,” Trudeau said in a media statement. He did not take questions from reporters.

“These are not easy times. And it’s clear, I and my entire team, have a lot more hard work to do to ensure tangible, real progress that Canadians can see and feel.”

Before Monday’s close vote, a Conservative candidate had not been competitive in Toronto-St. Paul since the 1980s. The party had not won a seat in the city of Toronto since the 2011 federal election.

Éric Grenier, a polling analyst who runs thewrit.ca, said that although the polls suggested the by-election would be close, even the Conservatives were probably surprised by the victory.

“Could it get much worse for the Liberals? “This is perhaps one of the worst results they could have had right now because going into the summer, there have been a lot of questions about Justin Trudeau’s leadership,” he said.

“This is a big loss for the Liberals and it’s a symbolic loss. I think a lot of questions are going to start being asked over the next few weeks.”

The Liberal MP for the riding, Carolyn Bennett, beat her Conservative opponent by about 24 points in 2021. This time, the Liberal candidate Leslie Church lost by about two points.

Stewart’s victory broke the Liberals’ grip on urban Toronto and raises questions for Liberal MPs who thought their seats were safe.

About 55 Liberal MPs won their Ontario ridings by significantly less than the one Bennett posted in Toronto-St. Paul’s in the last general election, according to a CBS News analysis of past election data.

“Will there be many Liberal MPs who are going to look at these results in Toronto-St. Paul’s and thought to themselves, ‘I won my riding by quite a bit less than 24 points, what are my chances of being re-elected?’” said Grenier.

MPs are privately thinking about reorganisation

The Liberals have been dogged by dismal polling numbers for a year.

A recent Abacus poll put the Conservatives 20 points ahead of the Liberals.

Trudeau’s own approval rating hasn’t fared much better. The Abacus poll found that 59 per cent of those questioned had a negative view of the prime minister, while 33 per cent had a positive view of him.

Trudeau has repeatedly told journalists that he plans to stay on as party leader and has played down the poll numbers. Last week, he told CBS Power and PoliticsCanadians are not yet in “decision mode”.

“We will never stop working and fighting to make sure you have what you need to get through these difficult times. My focus is on your success and that’s where it’s going to stay,” he said on Tuesday.

Already, some Liberal MPs are musing behind the scenes about a reshuffle.

“I think he has to go or there has to be a dramatic change,” one Liberal MP told CBC News Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another Liberal MP, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said major changes were needed.

“Does he have to go? I think it’s hard to see other options,” they said.

A third Liberal MP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CBC News that they felt their party’s actions over the past year had been “tone deaf.”

“I believe that the prime minister, just to protect his own legacy, must resign,” they said.

Other Liberals are standing by Trudeau — publicly

Another Liberal source attributed MPs’ complaints to the need to take risks.

“I don’t think you’re going to see a phalanx of 25 caucus members come up to the microphone and say it’s time to go,” they said.

Liberal MPs who spoke publicly on Tuesday backed the prime minister.

“The prime minister is committed to leading us into the next election and he has our support,” said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

“This is a disappointing result. We take it seriously. “

Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal said he supports Trudeau “100 percent.”

“I think the real question Canadians are going to ask themselves is, what kind of Canada do you want to live in?” he said during a news conference.

“Do you want to live in a Canada where a government invests in its people, in health care, dental care, child care and many other initiatives? Or do you want a Canada where everything is gradually cut back, which the Poilievre government is sure to do. “

Whitby Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull said Trudeau will have to re-evaluate and reflect after the by-election result.

“But that’s up to him,” he said.

Liberal backbencher Marcus Powlowski, who represents Thunder Bay – Rainy River, said Trudeau has earned the right to make his own decision.

“No one is going to last forever as a politician, but that calculus, which is walking in the snow, is to be done, not for me to push it over in the snow bank,” he said referring to a resignation line Trudeau’s famous father.

“Let him walk his journey.”

Liberals have no leadership review mechanism

The Liberal Party does not have a leadership review mechanism built into its constitution. It allows for “leadership approval” votes, which allow registered Liberals to vote on whether they still support the current leader.

The endorsement vote is held by each riding association and each riding is weighted equally, with 100 points. A national leader needs 50 percent of the points to stay ahead.

But such a vote only takes place after the party has lost a general election.

In 2015, the Senedd adopted legislation to make party leaders more accountable to their caucus members.

The Amendment Act—introduced by Conservative MP Michael Chong—allows MPs to review and remove their party leader. Under the Reform Act, if 20 percent of a caucus signs a petition calling for a leadership review, a vote is triggered. If a majority of MPs vote against the leader, the leader is forced to step down.

But the Amendment Act states that parties must vote on whether any of its measures should be adopted after every general election. The Conservative Party is the only one that has done so; the party used the Reform Act to oust Erin O’Toole from the leadership in 2022.

Celebrating his party’s victory on Tuesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged the prime minister to call an early election.

“Here’s the verdict: Trudeau can’t go on like this,” he posted on social media. “He must call a carbon tax election now.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been supporting the Liberal minority government through a confidence and supply agreement, said the by-election results show people are frustrated.

“People are really angry at the Liberals,” he said. “People want change, so now it’s a matter of what change people want.”

He told reporters that his party will continue to use its leverage with the minority government to push for its priorities.

Liberal Party spokesman Parker Lund said the Liberals knew they had a tough job ahead of them.

“We knew this would be a difficult race, with by-elections not often favoring the ruling party,” he said in a media statement.

“Our Liberal team is ready to continue working to reach Canadians.”

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