Opinion | The Liberals’ focus is no longer on whether Justin Trudeau should resign. The debate is now about how to replace him

 

Justin Trudeau arrives at the Rideau Hall swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed ministers on Dec. 20 following a cabinet shuffle in the wake of Chrystia Freeland’s resignation as finance minister.

The fight for the future of the Liberal Party of Canada has begun.

It is no longer a question of whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should resign — for most of caucus, that question is settled. It may even be settled for the prime minister. He is in British Columbia, possibly taking the 2024 version of a walk in the snow, a run down the ski hill. 

What is now up for debate is who should pick the next Liberal leader and what that means for the party.

On Monday, the Star has learned, the Liberals’ Atlantic caucus met over Zoom and came to the same conclusion as their Ontario counterparts did last Saturday: Trudeau needs to go. They tasked their caucus chair, Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois, to report the message to the Prime Minister’s Office and ask for a national caucus meeting in early January for MPs to decide whether an interim leader should be appointed. Cabinet ministers who were on the call did not dissuade their colleagues.

In fact, according to three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc focused on what should happen after Trudeau’s resignation. LeBlanc argued the party didn’t have time for a lengthy leadership race and left the impression that caucus should pick the next leader. (LeBlanc did not respond to a request for comment.)

It’s a self-interested argument, of course. LeBlanc, affable and experienced, would be a strong contender for leader — if not the most likely — from caucus’s standpoint. 

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/the-liberals-focus-is-no-longer-on-whether-justin-trudeau-should-resign-the-debate-is/article_20a15428-c49d-11ef-a2a4-fb418d902a66.html