Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today he will step down as both the leader of the Liberal Party and as Canada's prime minister once the party has chosen a new leader. He has, with the approval of the governor general, prorogued Parliament until March 24.
The moves follow weeks of controversy ranging from non-confidence motions, internal strife in the Liberal caucus, and record low polling numbers for the beleaguered PM.
"This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it's become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election," he said outside his residence Monday morning.
In the wake of the announcement, local Liberal and NDP party representatives say they are gearing up for the election, each receiving interest from several prospective candidates, though neither gave a timeline for when their Simcoe North candidates will be announced.
“The whole question about whether the Prime Minister was going to stay on has been an issue,” said Ryan Barber, riding chair for the Simcoe North Liberals. “There are some individuals who've contacted (us) that were interested in running, but they didn't want to declare while the leadership issue was still hanging in the air, right?”
While the Conservatives and NDP had both signalled a desire for yet another non-confidence motion in the new year, Barber said proroguing parliament ensures “stability” at the federal level as the Liberal Party finds a new leader.
“That is the standard when a Prime Minister is stepping down, so this isn't an evasive manoeuvre,” Barber said. “We have to keep in mind that we're talking about the leadership of the nation, so stability is important. We're going to make sure that we maintain a stable government. There's going to be an election this year anyways.”
He also said holding a snap election would primarily benefit the federal Conservatives.
“The only person upset is Pierre Poilievre, who wants to have an election quickly because he doesn't want to actually argue the issues. He's still hoping to capitalize on anti-Trudeau sentiment. He's probably going to miss the prime minister more than anyone in that respect," said Barber.
Eddie Ste. Marie, president of the NDP’s Simcoe North riding association, agreed proroguing parliament is needed to ensure the Liberals can get a new leader in place.
“By going into Parliament and the government being defeated, there's no way to get a leader in place before the next election. There's some sense to doing what he's doing,” Ste. Marie said.
That sentiment, however, was not shared by Conservative Simcoe North MP Adam Chambers, who said the current government’s inflated deficit, increasing crime rates, and the incoming Trump administration, among other issues, as pressing matters that need to be dealt with sooner than later.
“41 million Canadians now have to wait for drama in the Liberal Party to continue, to pick a new prime minister while we have very, very serious issues to be dealing with as a country,” Chambers told OrilliaMatters.
“They've chosen to do this at the worst time, which is only serving their own Liberal Party interests and not the interests of Canadians.”
Chambers said his party will continue to call for an election in the coming months, arguing it's clear Canadians want a new government in place.
“We've been calling for an election for some time because it's clear that Canadians have moved on and would like a change in policies,” he said. “And frankly, when there's a new owner of a franchise, they don't change the menu. Nothing is going to change with putting in a new leader in the next couple months.”
With Trudeau’s Liberals polling at all-time lows as of last week, Barber said a new leader will give the Liberals opportunities to speak about the issues at hand, and perhaps rebound – instead of primarily combating anti-Trudeau rhetoric.
“Anything is possible. The reality is, unfortunately, there's been a lot of toxic culture. You can't walk down a street without seeing someone with a certain bumper sticker or flag," Barber said.
“We're going to have a leadership race, and we're going to have a chance to put forward a leader, and hopefully that will engage people to really have a serious conversation,” he said. “The last few months, I don't think we've had that – it's really just been a referendum on whether or not you like Justin Trudeau.”
Ste. Marie conceded Simcoe North is a “tough riding” that historically goes to the Conservatives, but he thinks the NDP party can put forward a strong campaign – particularly as local demographics change.
“I think we're improving that constantly in every election, and that's what we'll keep doing is making sure that we take a good candidate,” he said. “The riding is also changing … traditionally, people that were born and raised here, (and now there are) people that are moving in from Toronto and all over the place. So I think the voting pattern will substantially change at some point.”
