Liberal MP says he thinks Trudeau should face a leadership review

Liberal MP Ken McDonald says he thinks it’s time for his party to consider a leadership review of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Newfoundland MP stopped short of saying Trudeau should step down. He did tell Radio-Canada that he would like to see some sort of review organized within the party — one which would allow party members to express themselves freely and permit potential rivals for the party leadership to come forward.

“As a party, let’s clear the air and if people are still intent on having the leader we have now, fine. But at least give people the opportunity to have their say in what they think the direction the party is going,” he said.

Liberal MP Ken McDonald speaks with Radio-Canada at an arena in his riding. (Benoît Roussel/Radio-Canada)

McDonald was first elected in 2015, when the Liberals swept to power. He said he largely attributes that win to Trudeau.

“In 2015, it was him that won the election. He won the government,” he said. “He convinced Canadians that this was the time to switch parties and put in a different government.”

But the MP for Avalon said he wonders now if the Liberal leader is doing his party more harm than good. 

“I think Atlantic Canada is much the same as the rest of the country. There’s almost a hatred out there right now for Prime Minister Trudeau,” he said.

This isn’t the first time McDonald has whipped up controversy in the Liberal ranks. Last fall, he voted in favour of a Conservative motion to abolish carbon pricing — one of the Trudeau government’s flagship policies.

Around that time, he said, he began receiving multiple phone calls from Liberals — including people in the Prime Minister’s Office — urging him to fall into line.

“Various ministers reached out to me. The whip had a meeting with me about this,” he said. “The pressure was intense, but I was determined to do it because I knew the people in my riding wanted me to go that way.”

McDonald argues that the carbon tax shouldn’t apply to rural voters, such as those in his riding, who have few transportation alternatives beyond their own vehicles.

“With the population of Newfoundland, I don’t think we need to change behaviours because we don’t have a population big enough or condensed enough to cause an issue for climate change. We’re not the problem. It’s the densely populated areas that are the problem,” he said.

‘People are maybe thinking it’s time for a change’

McDonald and other Atlantic Liberal MPs pushed the government to temporarily suspend the carbon tax on heating oil, which is commonly used in Atlantic Canada.

During that October announcement, Trudeau also promised more generous subsidies for purchases of heat pumps.

McDonald said the exemption is a step in the right direction but won’t be enough to improve the prime minister’s image in his region.

“People are maybe thinking it’s time for a change,” he said. “Every leader, every party has a best-before date. Our best-before date is here.”

The Atlantic provinces have been good to the Liberals in the past few elections; the party currently holds 24 seats out of 32 in the region. During Trudeau’s first election in 2015, all of the ridings in the region went Liberal.

But the latest poll from Abacus Data has the Conservatives with a 12-point lead in the region.

McDonald said the Liberals are likely going to lose seats in his province in the next election.

“My biggest fear is that we will lose the government and someone else takes power,” he said.

McDonald’s constituents vent frustrations

McDonald said he’s heard from constituents who say his party would have a better shot in the next election with a new leader.

At Tiny’s Bar and Grill restaurant in Paradise, N.L., Jeanette Dyke told Radio-Canada that she has voted Liberal in the past but is thinking of voting for the Conservatives in the next election.

“I just cannot take Justin Trudeau anymore,” she said. She said she thinks the Liberal leader “doesn’t listen to people.”

“He has charisma … but to me he’s annoying” she said.

Trudy Quinlan, who was sitting opposite Dyke, described herself as a Liberal  “through and through.” She said she intends to vote for the Liberal candidate in the next election but expressed doubts about Trudeau.

“Everybody has their time to go and it’s time for him to go, because people are getting tired of him,” she said.

Trevor Whelan-King, a chef in Paradise, N.L. says he doesn’t like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “style of politics.” (Benoît Roussel/Radio-Canada)

The restaurant’s chef, Trevor Whelan-King, didn’t mince his words about Liberal leader.

“He’s very arrogant. I don’t like his style of politics,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like he cares about the people.”

Whelan-King cited the rising cost of living as one of his main concerns.

McDonald said he senses that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s messaging about affordability is resonating in certain corners of the region.

“He’s talking about affordability and making life more affordable for Canadians. That’s what Canadians want to hear,” he said.

McDonald said he hasn’t decided whether he will run in the next election, which he predicts will be an uphill battle for the Liberals.

“I think the next election will be probably one of the most difficult elections we’ve had run in this country in a long time,” he said.

The MP said he doesn’t “discount” Trudeau completely — he described the leader as a “smart politician” who does well on the campaign trail — but said a leadership review might reignite some interest in the Liberal Party.