Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denied on Wednesday (3) that he was considering resigning in light of the Liberal Party’s weak electoral prospects, which worsened last week when the party lost a key by-election in Toronto.
In his first news conference since losing the Toronto-St. Paul constituency, where the Liberals have governed uninterruptedly for more than 30 years, Trudeau said he was more motivated than ever to remain at the helm of the party.
The prime minister added that since the by-election, which was won by the opposition Conservative Party, he had spoken to many of the Liberal MPs.
“I’ve had a lot of calls from different members of parliament from all over the country, not just in Toronto, to talk about how we can continue to do our work to connect with Canadians, to make sure we continue to work for the people,” Trudeau said.
One of those lawmakers, Wayne Long, last week called on his colleagues to replace Trudeau “for the future” of the Liberal Party and the country.
In addition to Long, former Environment Minister (2015-2021) during Trudeau’s first term, Catherine McKenna, has also called for a new Liberal leader.
Trudeau and the Liberals face growing unpopularity after nearly 10 years in power, amid the high cost of living, severe homelessness, a growing social divide, loss of purchasing power and a drastic reduction in the quality of essential services.
Trudeau’s unpopularity has weighed on the Liberal Party, which is 14 percentage points behind the Conservative Party in a poll by the company. Legerreleased this Tuesday (41% to 27%).
The poll also shows that 26 per cent of Canadians prefer Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre as prime minister, and just 19 per cent see Trudeau as the best option.
The survey, conducted between June 21 and 23 with interviews with 1,607 Canadians, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.45%.
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