A former chief adviser and close friend to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he doesn香蕉视频直播檛 think Trudeau will stay on to lead the Liberals in the next election.
Gerald Butts wrote in a Substack newsletter that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland香蕉视频直播檚 surprise resignation from cabinet last week dealt Trudeau a staggering blow that loosened his already tenuous grip on the party.
His post came the same day the Conservatives said they will move to bring down the government as early as the end of January, by first moving a non-confidence motion in a House committee that will sit Jan. 7.
Trudeau is said to be thinking about his future during the holiday break, as an increasing number of current and former Liberal MPs publicly call on him to step down for the good of the party.
Butts said Trudeau was 香蕉视频直播渦nlikely香蕉视频直播� to lead the party into the next campaign before Freeland香蕉视频直播檚 stunning departure and is 香蕉视频直播渘ow much less likely to do so.香蕉视频直播�
Just a week ago, Butts joined the Liberal Christmas party confab in Ottawa alongside Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 longtime chief of staff and close confidant Katie Telford.
Butts, who has been friends with Trudeau since they studied together at McGill University, and Telford were part of the original team Trudeau, helping craft both his leadership bid in 2013 and his first winning election campaign in 2015. Butts then served as Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 principal secretary during the first Trudeau term.
He wrote that the Liberals are back now to where they were before Trudeau took over the party in 2013, in terms of their popularity and voters viewing them as out-of-touch.
Butts, who did not reply to requests for comment on Friday, said in his article that Freeland香蕉视频直播檚 sudden departure is bad news for the party and that it should prepare to hold a leadership race rather than anoint Freeland or anyone else as leader.
香蕉视频直播淚f, as is now widely expected, Mr. Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 resignation is imminent, the only way forward is a real leadership race,香蕉视频直播� Butts wrote.
香蕉视频直播淚f you want to know who can play hockey, put on a hockey game. It doesn香蕉视频直播檛 matter who you think you support at this moment, we香蕉视频直播檒l all have a more seasoned view if we see these people in live action.香蕉视频直播�
Trudeau has multiple options should he decide that he will not lead the Liberals into the next election but none of them leave a long runway for a leadership race.
The longest option would see him prorogue Parliament for a stretch of time to give his party breathing room for a leadership race without having to face confidence votes that could force an election this winter.
But Parliament would have to return within a few months, meaning the Liberals would not have very long for campaigning compared to past party leadership races.
The last race that elected Trudeau as leader lasted nearly two years.
Eddie Goldenberg, who was chief of staff to former Liberal prime minister Jean Chr茅tien, wrote a column in the wake of Freeland香蕉视频直播檚 surprise resignation arguing that a party leadership race would take too long to organize and properly execute.
He called for the Liberals to instead install Freeland as leader, after seeing her get a surge in support for taking a stand against Trudeau.
Butts is not the only one who thinks that香蕉视频直播檚 the wrong move.
Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 former environment minister Catherine McKenna last week also argued the party needs a 香蕉视频直播渟hort, serious leadership race香蕉视频直播� in a comment she made to The Canadian Press shortly after Freeland quit.
Public opinion polling in Canada has put Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre light years ahead of Trudeau for more than the past year, with polling aggregator 338 Canada projecting a Conservative majority of 232 seats by sweeping nearly everywhere but Quebec.
Butts said Freeland香蕉视频直播檚 abrupt exit from cabinet also means the next election will probably come sooner rather than later next year 香蕉视频直播� and that it香蕉视频直播檚 even more likely now to result in a Conservative majority government.
Conservatives have agitated for the past year for an immediate election fought over Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 hallmark policies, namely his controversial carbon pricing regime.
Conservative MP John Williamson said Friday he will try to get the ball rolling early in the new year on a non-confidence vote that could topple the Liberal government in little more than a month.
Williamson, who chairs the public accounts committee, said in a social media post that he will put forward his non-confidence motion at a committee hearing on Jan. 7, and that the committee can later kick it over to the House of Commons to deal with once it returns on Jan. 27.
That could be voted on as early as Jan. 30, and could bring an immediate election if it passes.
Three non-confidence motions brought by the Tories failed in the fall. However, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in the days after Freeland quit cabinet that he is now ready to vote down the government.
香蕉视频直播淭he Liberals don香蕉视频直播檛 deserve another chance,香蕉视频直播� he said in a letter posted to social media on Dec. 20, vowing that the NDP will put forward their own motion of non-confidence when parliament resumes and 香蕉视频直播渧ote to bring this government down.香蕉视频直播�
Williamson was not made available for an interview about the matter.
The Conservatives issued a statement Friday morning that said Singh should support their motion for an earlier vote and be prepared to live up to his words.
Nothing guarantees Williamson香蕉视频直播檚 move will survive committee or pass in a final vote, and Singh could opt to instead wait for the NDP香蕉视频直播檚 own opportunity to craft the wording over the key vote, then try to claim credit for toppling the government should his motion pass.
That NDP opposition day vote, one of seven divided up among the opposition parties and scheduled by the governing party, would have to take place by March 26, according to the House of Commons standing orders.
The NDP did not respond to a request for comment.
Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
