Chrystia Freeland pegged by some Liberal MPs as Justin Trudeau's successor if he resigns
As PM mulls future, some MPs say they want his former finance minister to step in
Calls are growing from within the Liberal caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down as party leader — and some have pegged Chrystia Freeland as their choice to replace him.
Twenty-one Liberal MPs have publicly urged Trudeau to resign — many of them within the last week — after Freeland shocked Canadians on Monday by resigning as deputy prime minister and finance minister hours before she was supposed to table the government's fall economic statement.
Among the Liberal MPs publicly calling on Trudeau to step down, a small number have come forward to throw their support behind Freeland.
"By design or by circumstance, her time of resignation has put her into the spotlight. And she appears to be the person around whom the caucus members can rally behind," Ontario Liberal MP Chandra Arya told CBC's Power & Politics on Friday.
Arya, previously a staunch supporter of Trudeau, became one of the latest dissenters of the prime minister with a letter he penned on Friday.
He said his previous support stemmed from the lack of a "viable and reassuring alternative" but that Freeland has now filled that void.
B.C. Liberal MP Ken Hardie pointed to Freeland's track record in cabinet, especially in dealing with the United States.
"Ms. Freeland, particularly because of the skill with which she dealt with Donald Trump in Trump 1.0, is clearly the one that I would choose to take the fight back to him again. She's smart. She knows the drill with him," Hardie told Power & Politics host David Cochrane on Wednesday.
'No shortage' of contenders
Freeland's name isn't the only one floating around as a possible Trudeau replacement, should the prime minister choose to step down.
Political pundits have also been discussing the merits of newly appointed Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and former housing minister Sean Fraser before he stepped down from that position just prior to Freeland's resignation.
"I was really sad to see Sean Fraser go, because he would have been at or near the top of my list," Prince Edward Island Liberal MP Sean Casey told reporters on Tuesday.
He said, however, that there's "no shortage" of people who could take on the role of Liberal Party leader "without the baggage of the prime minister."
When asked if he would like to see Freeland launch a leadership bid, Casey said, "Yes."
Most of the 21 MPs publicly asking Trudeau to go have not endorsed a specific candidate to replace him.
Rob Oliphant, an Ontario Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, said he's worked in that role for a number of cabinet ministers who he believes would fare well in the role of leader.
But he noted that Trudeau is still taking time to reflect on his position.
"I will give him a break and say please take the time, be thoughtful.... I won't put a timeline on that for him. That's up to him," he told Power & Politics on Friday. "He's still my leader, he's my friend, he's our prime minister. And I want him to take the time to do that and leave graciously."
Freeland leadership bid speculation
While the prime minister reflects, nobody has publicly expressed an interest in taking over his role.
On Tuesday, Freeland wrote a letter to her supporters thanking them. She ended the letter with a message — "this will not be the end of the road" — that ramped up speculation about her own leadership ambitions.
That same evening, she attended the Liberal caucus holiday party. While Trudeau gave a speech addressing the growing rift in the party, Freeland stole the show.
Soon after his speech, Trudeau stood for photos with party members. To the right of the room, a line also started forming for photos with Freeland. When Trudeau's time for photos ended, the line for photos with Freeland was still going strong.
A biography of Freeland was then released on Friday. The book was originally set to publish in February, but author Catherine Tsalikis said the events of the past week changed the timeline.
In it, Tsalikis referred to Freeland as Trudeau's "most obvious successor."
When the biography was announced, the Globe and Mail speculated that it could be tied to a leadership run.
Tsalikis told Power & Politics guest host John Paul Tasker that the speculation "amuses" her. She also said that while Freeland declined to co-operate with her on the biography, she was able to speak to many people close to the politician.
Liberals polling low
With no word on whether Trudeau will resign and no official potential successors, there isn't much data on how well Freeland — or anyone else — would fare in the eyes of voters.
Pollster Éric Grenier said the last numbers he saw on contenders were gathered earlier in the fall, and no contender yielded much of a bump in the polls for the Liberal Party.
- This Sunday, Cross Country Checkup is asking, "Do you have confidence in the Trudeau government? Where do we go from here?" Fill out this form and you could appear on the show or have your comment read on air.
Grenier said Freeland was seen as a "replacement, a substitute" for Trudeau at that time, but he would be interested in seeing where the numbers now stand.
"With the kind of numbers we are seeing right now, it would be hard for the Liberals to start doing worse," he told Power & Politics on Friday.
The Conservatives currently hold a 21-point lead over the Liberals.
A new leader might give a little bit of a bump to the reigning Liberals, but as polls now stand, it probably won't be enough to keep them in power, Grenier said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Kate McKenna
Saturday, 21 December 2024
We have our White Christmas
Actually, I wish that for everyone.
I agree! I hope she has a great holiday w/ family and friends!!
Reply to Margie Anderson
Reply to Margie Anderson
That has zero to do with any person who stands their ground.
Reply to Margie Anderson
I do.
From: Chrystia Freeland <Chrystia.Freeland@fin.gc.ca>
Date: Fri, Aug 2, 2024 at 10:57 AM
Subject: Automatic reply: The Liberals and NDP have been sick, cruel, selfish and disgusting for years So why have you ignored my concerns for so long?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
The
Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
comments.
Le ministère des Finances Canada accuse réception de votre courriel. Nous vous assurons que vos commentaires sont les bienvenus.
From: Chrystia Freeland <Chrystia.Freeland@fin.gc.ca>
Date: Tue, Oct 1, 2024 at 10:49 AM
Subject: Automatic reply: A little Deja Vu for Justin Trudeau and Peter MacKay from 2013
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
The
Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
comments.
Le ministère des Finances Canada accuse réception de votre courriel. Nous vous assurons que vos commentaires sont les bienvenus.
Date: Thu, Aug 8, 2024 at 3:42 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Jenica Atwin knows anyone can review what he said and did on Jul 31, 2024 that offended a lot of people
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
The Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your comments.
Le ministère des Finances Canada accuse réception de votre courriel. Nous vous assurons que vos commentaires sont les bienvenus.
‘It was a setup’: Atwin on the committee that devolved into chaos
Two advocates stormed out of a committee last week in tears after MPs repeatedly interrupted their testimony
OTTAWA • Two advocates for ending violence against women stormed out of a committee meeting last week in tears after MPs repeatedly interrupted their testimony to accuse each other of playing political games.
It’s caused a firestorm of backlash.
What's next for Justin Trudeau now that some of his own MPs want him gone?
Embattled prime minister faces caucus calls to go, a depleted cabinet and emerging leadership contenders
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces an acute crisis as a growing number of his own MPs demand that he resign and accuse him of mismanaging his relationship with Chrystia Freeland, once his most trusted lieutenant.
Through it all, he still has the job of governing the country — which is not getting any easier.
Eight cabinet ministers have either retired or resigned in recent months. They've left gaps on Trudeau's front bench as the country grapples with a series of crises, most notably U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose economic ruin on Canada through punishing tariffs on exports.
Trudeau's temporary solution for the staffing woes has been to give Dominic LeBlanc much more responsibility — he's currently serving as minister of finance, public safety and intergovernmental affairs, arguably three of the most challenging cabinet portfolios right now.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, left, walks with his new Finance Minister
Dominic LeBlanc to a national caucus meeting on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024 in
Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Trudeau's former governing partner, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, has said Trudeau must resign.
MP Peter Julian, the NDP House leader, said Monday the party will vote non-confidence in the government if Trudeau stays on as Liberal leader into the new year.
Julian said that if this "Liberal debacle" continues into February or March, the NDP will pull its support for the government once and for all. That means a federal election could come as soon as this spring — a grim prospect for Trudeau, given polls that suggest he's deeply unpopular and the Liberal Party has the support of just 20 per cent of voters.
Trudeau has been tight-lipped in public about a challenging week for himself and his government.
He hasn't spoken to the press and he cancelled a series of year-end interviews with media outlets, including CBC News, that were scheduled to take place Wednesday.
At two Liberal Christmas parties this week, one for top donors on Monday and another for political staffers on Tuesday, he made veiled references to the Freeland fracas and the internal movement to oust him.
"Like most families, sometimes we have fights during the holidays. But like most families, we find our way through it," he said Tuesday.
A growing number of calls to resign
What started out as a secret movement to oust Trudeau in October has spilled out into the open, and a growing number of Liberal MPs seem increasingly comfortable with calling for him to resign.
A movement to covertly gather signatures from disaffected MPs for a letter calling on him to resign has exploded into a more concerted campaign to pressure him out of the job.
Those wayward Liberal MPs have been speaking openly to reporters on Parliament Hill and they have gone on political shows like CBC's Power & Politics to press for Trudeau to go.
About 15 Liberal MPs have gone on the record saying Trudeau must resign and make way for somebody else.
Two of them came forward Wednesday to say Trudeau's time is up: Yukon MP Brendan Hanley and New Brunswick MP Jenica Atwin.
Hanley said the way Freeland was treated has forced some MPs to climb down from the fence and support Trudeau's ouster.
"It's kind of rallied many people within caucus to find their voice," Hanley told CBC Radio's Yukon Morning.
He said Trudeau was "a transformation leader" who did a lot of good for Canada but "he needs to now step aside."
"I don't see a viable path forward with the prime minister staying as our leader," he said. "Now is the time."
There are many more Liberal MPs who also want him gone, according to MPs who are pushing for him to resign.
Liberal MP Chad Collins estimates the number of caucus members who want him out at between 40 and 50. If a secret ballot were held on Trudeau's future, he would lose, Collins told CBC Radio.
Liberal MP Wayne Long said at least a third of the caucus — roughly 50 MPs — want him to resign right away, while another third are on the fence. He suggests about a third of the caucus are Trudeau loyalists who think he should press on.
Wayne
Long, MP for Saint John-Rothesay speaks as Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau and Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon look on during a visit to a
new inclusive housing project in Saint John, N.B. on Wednesday, Jan.17,
2024. (Michael Hawkins/The Canadian Press)
In a letter to MPs sent Wednesday and obtained by CBC News, Long said "the time for loyalty at all costs, for quiet hand-wringing and polite whispers behind closed doors, has passed."
"This isn't just about one man — it's about saving our party from historic defeat," he wrote. "Let's ask ourselves: Do we want to stay silent and allow this to happen? Silence is complicity."
He said Freeland's resignation was "embarrassing" and should "serve as a glaring wake-up call."
He urged cabinet ministers to join the fight to get Trudeau to quit. If that effort fails, Long said, the Liberals will be "willingly ceding the future of our Parliament to the Conservatives."
In a later interview, Long said the push to oust Trudeau is gaining momentum, with more people approaching him every day to join the cause.
"There are ministers that agree with me. How do I know? Because they've told me so," Long said.
"We're headed to oblivion and we need to stand up as elected representatives, do the right thing and convince the leader to step down."
Liberal MP Ken Hardie says he'd back Chrystia Freeland for the leadership. (CBC)
MP Ken Hardie agreed with Long and said that, based on what the polls say, the party faces a crushing defeat if Trudeau sticks around into an election.
Hardie said he's preemptively endorsing Freeland for leader because he believes she's the best person to handle Trump, based on her past success in renegotiating NAFTA.
Other MPs still aren't comfortable going public as anti-Trudeau members of caucus.
MP Sean Casey, an avowed anti-Trudeau member of caucus, said the number of Liberals calling for his resignation will grow after the coming cabinet shuffle.
Sources say some MPs have been approached for background checks and interviews ahead of a shuffle, giving them some hope that they may get tapped to join cabinet — the ultimate goal for many elected officials.
"I think it's much more likely some of these people will express those feelings once they're passed over," Casey said Tuesday.
Trudeau told disaffected MPs at a caucus meeting Monday that he's heard their concerns and would take time to think about his future.
Waiting for the cabinet shuffle
Before Freeland's resignation, it was widely expected that the much-anticipated cabinet shuffle was going to happen this week.
According to a Liberal source who spoke to Radio-Canada, Freeland was told by the prime minister in a Zoom call on Friday that she would be replaced as finance minister by former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney on Tuesday.
But Carney had not agreed to the move when the PM raised it with Freeland, according to a source who spoke to CBC News. Both sources spoke on the condition they not be named.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as Chrystia Freeland speaks at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Freeland ultimately resigned rather than accept a different position, which sources say was minister without portfolio with some responsibility for the Canada-U.S. relationship.
Her resignation derailed the cabinet shuffle plans — but sources have said one could still happen this week to deal with the gaping holes in cabinet.
Six cabinet ministers — Sean Fraser, Pablo Rodriguez, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Carla Qualtrough, Filomena Tassi and Dan Vandal — have told Trudeau in recent months they are not running in the next election. Rodriguez has already left cabinet and is sitting as an Independent.
MP Randy Boissonnault, Trudeau's former employment minister, resigned amid scandal over his Indigenous ancestry claims and business dealings last month.
Those departures, combined with Freeland's resignation, means there are now eight cabinet spots that need to be filled in short order.
In addition to LeBlanc's triple-duty portfolio, Anita Anand is serving as both president of the Treasury Board and transport minister and Ginette Petitpas Taylor is the employment minister, the minister for official languages and the Veterans Affairs minister.
With Trudeau's leadership in a very tenuous position, talk has turned to who could replace him if he resigns.
Freeland has decided to stay on as a Liberal MP and run again in her Toronto-area seat in the next election — a sign that she might launch a leadership campaign of her own if Trudeau quits.
Freeland's decision to resign and then criticize Trudeau's "costly political gimmicks" — a thinly veiled reference to the GST holiday and the promised $200 cheques for working Canadians — could be interpreted as a way for the former finance minister to distance herself from an unpopular prime minister and present herself as a more moderate political force who tried to take on a spendthrift leader.
In an email sent to her staff Tuesday, Freeland said her decision to resign from cabinet rather than be shuffled to some other portfolio "was the right one."
"It will, of course, be a challenging few days, but this will not be the end of the road," Freeland wrote.
Long, the disaffected MP, said there are other possible contenders for Trudeau's job besides Freeland: Carney, LeBlanc, Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from the CBC's David Cochrane, Rosemary Barton
Which members of Trudeau's caucus have publicly said he should resign
| SAID TRUDEAU SHOULD RESIGN | SEEKING RE-ELECTION | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Wayne Long (Saint John—Rothesay) | Yes | No |
 | René Arseneault (Madawaska—Restigouche) | Yes | No |
 | Francis Drouin (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell) | Yes | No |
 | Helena Jaczek (Markham—Stouffville) | Yes | No |
 | Ken McDonald (Avalon) | Yes | No |
 | Ken Hardie (Fleetwood—Port Kells) | Yes | No |
 | Valerie Bradford (Kitchener South—Hespeler) | Yes | |
 | Sean Casey (Charlottetown) | Yes | |
 | Chad Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) | Yes | |
 | Serge Cormier (Acadie—Bathurst) | Yes |
| SEEKING RE-ELECTION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Anthony Housefather (Mount Royal) | Yes | |
 | Patrick Weiler (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) | Yes | |
 | Yvan Baker (Etobicoke Centre) | Yes | |
 | Alexandra Mendès (Brossard—Saint-Lambert) | Yes | |
 | Heath MacDonald (Malpeque) | Yes | |
 | Jenica Atwin (Fredericton) | Yes | |
 | Brendan Hanley (Yukon) | Yes | |
 | Sophie Chatel (Pontiac) | Yes | |
 | Robert Oliphant (Don Valley West) | Yes | Yes |
 | Chandra Arya (Nepean) | Yes |
 | Ali Ehsassi (Willowdale) | Yes | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Omar Alghabra (Mississauga Centre) | No | |
 | Marie-Claude Bibeau (Compton—Stanstead) | No | |
 | Pam Damoff (Oakville North—Burlington) | No | |
 | Emmanuel Dubourg (Bourassa) | No | |
 | Sean Fraser (Central Nova) | No | |
 | Lloyd Longfield (Guelph) | No | |
 | John McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) | No | |
 | Michael McLeod (Northwest Territories) | No | |
 | Joyce Murray (Vancouver Quadra) | No |
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