Unspecified number of Liberal MPs set to confront Trudeau, ask him to step down

  • Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses caucus during a meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Trudeau will face down his own caucus members in a hotly anticipated meeting this morning, as several of them plan to try to convince him to step aside. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face down his own caucus members in a hotly anticipated meeting this morning, as several of them plan to try to convince him to step aside.

Rumours have circulated for weeks about an undisclosed number of Liberal MPs who have signed on to the effort to oust the prime minister in the hopes of improving the party's chances in the next election.

That promises to make the regular weekly caucus meeting on Parliament Hill extra tense, as Trudeau has showed no signs of stepping down from the top job.

Trudeau's personal poll numbers plummeted more than a year ago, and successive byelection losses have compounded concerns about his leadership.

The MPs have no formal mechanism to depose Trudeau as leader, which means the decision is ultimately up to him.

It's not yet clear how many MPs will confront Trudeau, or exactly what message they plan to deliver behind closed doors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.