Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former environment minister Catherine McKenna and a backbench MP Wayne Long say it’s time for the party to find a new leader, after the Liberals suffered a stunning defeat this week in a former Toronto stronghold.
“The Liberal party isn’t about one person. It’s about the values it stands for and it’s about improving the lives of Canadians,” McKenna said in a statement to Global News Friday.
“The Prime Minister has a legacy to be proud of but it’s time for new ideas, new energy and a new leader. There is too much at stake in this election especially on the economy and climate.”
McKenna was a high-profile minister who served in Trudeau’s cabinet from 2015 to 2021, first in charge of the environment file, and later responsible for the infrastructure portfolio.
While Trudeau’s current ministers are standing by him publicly, McKenna is one of the first former cabinet members to call for his replacement, as first reported by CBC News.
Long said in an email to the party caucus, obtained by Global News, that “new leadership” was needed.
“For the future of our party and for the good of our country we need new leadership and a new direction,” Long wrote. “The voters have spoken loud and clear they want change. I agree.”
Ken McDonald, a Liberal MP from Newfoundland and Labrador, in a separate reply to Long’s message appeared to echo his comments, simply saying “well said.”
Trudeau is facing growing pressure to rethink his political future after the surprise upset in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s.
The Conservatives won Monday night’s byelection, taking the seat from the Liberals for the first time in three decades, and setting off a wave of questions about whether Trudeau should stay on as leader.
— with files from David Akin and Sean Previl