Capital Dispatch: 'He needs to reflect more'

Here's what you need to know about the top political stories of the week.
October 25, 2024
Capital Dispatch


'He listened but he wasn't swayed': PM Trudeau staying after caucus confrontation 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is digging in, saying "yes" he's staying on as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, after dozens of his MPs confronted him behind closed doors this week.

Meanwhile, the federal government is massively slashing immigration targets, after criticism that current immigration levels were putting too much pressure on housing and social services.
 
Plus, the NDP are angling to put abortion back on the agenda, and closing statements are heard at the foreign interference inquiry. 


 

The week that was


All eyes were on the Liberal caucus this week, both leading up to and following the mid-week emotionally charged meeting, where sources have confirmed the prime minister was confronted by more than 20 Liberal MPs who called for his resignation. 

Ahead of the meeting, Trudeau said he didn't think his leadership was in danger. 
 
Cut to Wednesday afternoon. 

Reporters filled the hallways as the meeting ran overtime, and after parsing through all the loyalist cabinet minister comments about how the party was united behind Trudeau and focused on fighting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, some more frank details came to light. 

During the meeting, around 50 MPs rose, split between supporters and dissenters. A statement was read out to the prime minister indicating some wanted him to come back with a decision on his future by Monday, Oct. 28. Trudeau told his team he would reflect and get back.  
That reflection seemed to last less than 24 hours. 

As of Thursday morning, Trudeau was clear, he wasn't going anywhere. 

"We're going to continue and have… great discussions about how I can best lead the Liberal party forward," Trudeau told reporters.

His assertion left some Liberal MPs "disappointed." 

Asked if they thought their leader took enough time to consider next steps, a few MPs who confronted him said no, as they were expecting him to at least take the weekend before getting back to his team by their requested deadline with his decision.

"I don't think that he felt that he needed to reflect at all. I think his mind was made up," Liberal MP Sean Casey said.

"He listened but he wasn't swayed... I don't think that having this feeding frenzy for another two or three days would have helped anyone if his mind was made up anyway. So, it is what it is... Me personally, I'm moving on. There's so much energy burned on all of this," he said.

"He told us he would reflect. It's a pretty quick reflection and I think he needs to reflect more," said Saint John-Rothesay, N.B. MP Wayne Long. 

These MPs' comments came amid swirling suggestions that some Liberals would consider voting with the opposition on big issues, if Trudeau didn't resign.

Asked what conversations he's been party to, Poilievre said he's talked to "numerous Liberal MPs," who are worried the government sticking with the carbon tax could cost them their seats. 
"And some of them might even be willing to vote non-confidence in Justin Trudeau if that issue comes up again," Poilievre said. 

This infighting comes amid a separate effort brewing among some grassroots Liberals who are circulating a "code red" petition, calling on the party's national executive and caucus to organize a secret ballot on the leadership question.

Adding to the pressure the prime minister is facing, the deadline for Trudeau to get back to his team was set for one day before the Bloc Quebecois' ultimatum is set to expire.

If the Liberals don't ensure a pair of Bloc bills get through a currently logjammed Parliament by Oct. 29, Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has said he'll start talking to the other opposition parties about bringing down the government.

So even if Trudeau can corral his caucus, his minority government's grip on power could be in peril.

"If there is a weakened Liberal party, both the Bloc and the NDP might have an incentive to bring the government down," said political analyst Lori Williams.

And in other news, as my colleague Mike Le Couteur reports, Canada is cutting the number of permanent residents allowed into this country by at least 20 per cent. 

The targets will drop to 395,000 from half a million permanent residents in 2025, then to 380,000 permanent residents in 2026. The target for the following year will be 365,000.

This the first time the immigration plan includes controlled targets for temporary residents, specifically international students and foreign workers, as well as for permanent residents.

The department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship believes the plan will result in a population decline of 0.2 per cent over the next two years before returning to population growth of 0.8 per cent in 2027. 

The Trudeau government has faced criticism in recent months as current immigration levels have put pressure on the country's housing shortage and the lack of social services in a number of provinces.

In a news conference on Thursday, Trudeau said as Canada emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic the government may not have achieved the goal of attempting to address labour needs while maintaining population growth. 

"We didn't get the balance quite right," said Trudeau. "With the plan we're announcing today, along with previously announced measures, we're making our immigration system work better."
 

Not to be missed

Closing statements at interference inquiry  

On the heels of Trudeau's testimony last week the public inquiry into foreign interference conducted policy round tables this week and then heard closing submissions on Thursday from the representatives of the political parties, diaspora groups with standing, as well as the federal government. The last several weeks of hearings focused on the Canadian government's capacity and capabilities to "detect, deter and counter" foreign interference targeting democratic and electoral processes, as well as the experiences of diaspora communities. As The Canadian Press reports, Thursday's submissions provided a mix of partisan finger-pointing and genuine policy recommendations.

Singh previews abortion-focused opposition day motion   

While the legislative logjam persists, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has offered a preview of what his party's only opposition day of the fall sitting will focus on, once he's able to advance it… and the answer is abortion. Singh says his party will force a debate and vote "on a motion to push back the creep of anti-choice bills, petitions and threats in Canada, and improve access to abortion." The motion calls out both Trudeau for inaction, and Poilievre for his caucus' record on the issue and asks for the House to call on the government "to enforce the Canada Health Act and ensure equal access to publicly funded abortion care across all provinces and territories." Poilievre has stated in a past statement that: "When I am prime minister, no laws or rules will be passed that restrict women's reproductive choices. Period." 
 

'Not a day that goes by' Vickers doesn't think about Hill shooting 

And, Tuesday was the 10-year anniversary of the deadly Parliament Hill shooting. For many the day brought deep reflections. In an interview on CTV News Channel's Power Play, former sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers said there's "not a day that goes by" where he doesn't think about it. "There's, I think, different accounts came out with different recollections, and I just thought it best to let things go, and just live with my recollections of what happened myself," Vickers said, when asked by host Vassy Kapelos why he hadn't spoken much about the day publicly until now. "And 10 years on, I said, perhaps it's time to unload what I recall of the incident." 

Quote of the week

"At the end of the day we as a caucus are united on the concern that we have with Mr. Poilievre and the type of agenda that he would bring to the Prime Minister's Office if elected… I have not always agreed with the prime minister. If he chooses to stay on, which he has said he will, I'll support him because at the end of the day even if there is fatigue on the prime minister's leadership, I don't want Pierre Poilievre to govern this country. I don't think his agenda would be in the best interests of Canadians. I fundamentally disagree with the way in which he purports himself. Look at the House of Commons, no civility, very little class … I don't want to go into the ditches so to speak and be nasty but I mean he's forcing that type of debate that is simplistic, slogan-driven and personal attacks. I think we have to focus on public policy. We have to focus on the best interests of Canadians. We had a good discussion. At the end of the day different caucus members may tell you different things. I don't know. There's a diversity of opinion out there but when push comes to shove, if the prime minister wants to stay on and that's his choice, as I've said before I will support him because I believe that the Liberal Party of Canada is the best vehicle to represent Canadian interests in the days ahead and to be the ones in government."   

- Liberal MP Kody Blois, speaking to reporters as he left the Hill following Wednesday's caucus meeting. 

The week ahead

Yet again this week's legislative look-ahead is limited given there is no end in sight to the standoff in the House of Commons over a Conservative privilege motion. 

Now three weeks in, very little beyond routine procedural matters has been accomplished in the chamber and it remains murky how the Liberals intend to get out of this. 

The Official Opposition seems intent to keep talking out the clock preventing their own motion from coming to a vote that would break this impasse. 

While Government House Leader Karina Gould has quietly stacked up a series of motions on the notice paper proposing ways to speed up the scrutiny of certain bills, should they become movable again, there's no signs that closure is coming. 

A prorogation would wipe the slate clean, but that would also mean a fresh start for a lot of work already well underway. The one arguable upside to the House stalling out is that it's bought the minority Liberals some time, as no non-confidence motions can be presented. 

So we wait. 
 

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