'The Liberal Party is strong and united,' Trudeau says after 24 MPs sign a letter calling on him to quit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted on Wednesday that his party remains "strong and united," despite 24 Liberal MPs signing a document urging him to step down to prevent electoral defeat.

With national polls suggesting the Liberals are on course to lose the next election, frustrated MPs voiced their concerns at a national caucus meeting, asking Trudeau to reconsider staying on as leader.

After nine years in office, Trudeau’s popularity has plummeted. According to the CBC Poll Tracker, the Conservatives currently lead the Liberals by 19 points, a gap that could cost many Liberal MPs their seats in the next election.

Some MPs have held secret meetings and signed a document calling for Trudeau’s resignation. Sources confirmed to Radio-Canada that 24 MPs have signed the letter.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller, a close friend of Trudeau, said he doesn’t expect the prime minister to step aside. Speaking after leaving the caucus meeting, Miller acknowledged the tensions within the party. “I respect the hell out of my colleagues who stood up and voiced their concerns to his face,” he said. However, he dismissed the situation as a crisis, stating, “This isn't a code red. The prime minister can handle the truth.”

Trudeau reiterated that he will remain leader and lead the Liberals into the next election. When asked if Trudeau should reconsider, Miller responded, “That’s up to him. He’s clear about his intentions, and I don’t expect them to change.”

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, a Liberal MP known for challenging the party line, said there’s still a path forward for Trudeau if he addresses the frustrations within the caucus. “The prime minister needs to listen to his colleagues' valid concerns and make meaningful changes,” he said.

Erskine-Smith criticized the party’s limited advertising efforts, saying the Liberals have essentially surrendered the field to the Conservatives, who have spent millions on ads. Still, he urged his colleagues to stop internal disputes: “We need to turn the knives outward and focus on the real challenge—getting things done in Parliament and opposing Pierre Poilievre, who would be disastrous for this country.”

Three MPs—Ken McDonald (Newfoundland), Sean Casey (Prince Edward Island), and Wayne Long (New Brunswick)—have publicly confirmed signing the document. All three have long been critical of Trudeau, though the names of other signatories remain undisclosed.

Uncertainty lingers over whether the caucus discussions or the MPs' letter will change Trudeau’s mind. The prime minister may press on as leader despite the unrest, and it’s unclear how dissatisfied MPs will react if he refuses to step aside. McDonald, Casey, and Long said they aren’t ready to leave the party or sit as Independents.

McDonald hinted that he has considered voting against the government if a non-confidence vote occurs, though he hasn't made any final decisions. “The polling is going down, and a lot of us want to run again,” McDonald said. “The prime minister needs to listen and try to win people back.”

Long, who has announced he won’t run in the next election, emphasized the need for leadership change to defeat Poilievre. “The Liberal Party is bigger than any one person. We have to put our best foot forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, longtime MP Judy Sgro defended Trudeau, calling him the best representative of Liberal values. “I’ll run with him again,” she said, though she laughed when asked if his face would appear on her campaign signs.

Liberal MPs’ concerns are heightened by recent byelection losses in strongholds like Toronto and Montreal. A Winnipeg-area byelection saw the governing party post one of its worst performances in Canadian history. Adding to the unease, the Liberals’ national campaign director quit in September, and four cabinet ministers are expected to announce their retirement before the next election.

Despite the internal strife, Trudeau continues to receive support from some ministers. Miller dismissed efforts to remove Trudeau as “garbage,” arguing that the real threat is Poilievre. “Every minute spent on this is a minute not spent on what Poilievre wants to do to this country,” he said.

Housing Minister Sean Fraser echoed Miller’s sentiments, emphasizing that Poilievre is the problem. “We’re up against someone who campaigns on denying women access to free birth control and refuses a security clearance to investigate foreign interference allegations,” he said, referencing Poilievre’s controversial decisions.

Meanwhile, a petition calling for a caucus confidence vote on Trudeau’s leadership has circulated among MPs and party members. The petition suggests that if Trudeau fails to secure support, an interim leader should be appointed, with a leadership race completed by June 1, 2025.

Dubbed “Project Code Red,” the initiative is led by Young Liberal members and former staffers. Spokesperson Andrew Perez clarified that the petition isn’t an attack on Trudeau but a “wake-up call” for the party.

“This is about ensuring the survival of the Canada we’ve built and hope to continue building,” the petition reads.