During Trudeau cabinet meeting, Liberal MPs look for signs of change after by-election defeat

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hold his annual cabinet meeting with cabinet members in Halifax on Sunday, a meeting that comes after a year of dismal polls and unrest among some Liberal MPs.

Some of those MPs are now calling for major reforms – and for the prime minister to publicly show remorse.

The three-day cabinet meeting is expected to address fiscal issues and seek to strengthen Canada’s relationship with the United States before the House of Commons resumes in September.

“I think the first thing we need to do is to be rooted in the experiences of people in our communities,” Housing Minister Sean Fraser said Monday.

But Liberal caucus members are watching closely to see if the prime minister is listening to them and acting on any ideas they have. The party suffered a surprise defeat in a by-election in June.

CBC News spoke with six MPs who said they want cabinet to agree on several measures: a major cabinet reshuffle, streamlined public messaging, an effort to promote the Liberals as a team and a more aggressive publicity campaign contrasting the party with the Conservatives.

“I think he just needs to shake things up a bit and re-energise things because right now we look like an old, tired government,” one Liberal MP said.

Some lawmakers said they also want to see Trudeau publicly address past failures and lay out a new path to turn around the Liberal party’s political fortunes.

David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, said other politicians, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, have seen their approval ratings rise after apologizing or showing “remorse and deep empathy for how people are feeling.” He said Trudeau has yet to do that.

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything obvious from him yet, and if he’s going to run again and wants to lead the country in the next few years, I think this is the path forward for him,” Coletto said.

The sources — who requested anonymity in order to be able to speak freely — told CBC News that Trudeau has privately acknowledged that his government’s efforts over the past year have not had the desired effect, but has not acknowledged it publicly.

One MP said Canada’s welcoming of large numbers of temporary foreign workers and international students is an example of a policy decision the prime minister needs to explain personally to Canadians.

Coletto said the current political environment is the most challenging Trudeau has ever faced. For the past year, the Liberals have lagged the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre by about 15 percentage points.

“If the election were held today, the Conservatives would have a good chance of not only winning a majority of seats, but a good chance of forming a majority government,” Coletto said. “They are leading in almost every region of the country.”

The Liberals’ crushing defeat in a byelection in Toronto-Saint-Paul, a former Liberal stronghold, in June has sparked discontent within the Liberal caucus, with some MPs publicly calling on the Trudeau government to adjust its team and strategy. Some say Trudeau should step down.

But except for the former Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan resigns from cabinet Since that by-election, little has changed within the government.

Meeting expected to discuss cost of living, U.S. ties

The cabinet meeting is expected to focus on issues such as the cost of living, housing and health care – issues that are top of mind for many Canadians facing financial stress.

Davenport Councillor Julie Dzerowicz said she wants to see a clear vision after losing the by-election.

“I’ll be focusing on our game plan going forward,” Dzerowicz said.

The cabinet also aims to develop a plan to strengthen Canada’s relationship with the United States ahead of this November’s election.

Those expected to attend the cabinet retreat include Canada’s ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman and former ambassadors David MacNaughton and Frank McKenna.

Flavio Volpe, president of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, said he would be watching for any signs that Canada would adopt the same tariff measures against China as the United States.

US President Joe Biden announced in May that the United States would implement New tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, and the steel and aluminum used in such vehicles.

Wolpe said he was “fairly confident” the Canadian government would impose the same tariffs as the United States, but that U.S. support for Canada was “a little nervous.”

“I think the sooner we understand where the Americans stand, the better it will be for our trade relationship,” Volpe said.

Liberals take inspiration from rising Democrats

Some MPs said the Liberals were also looking south of the border for inspiration.

Two MPs said Trudeau has worked hard to convey the Democratic Party’s message of joy and optimism, noting that Trudeau spoke about the Olympics and Canadian pride at a press conference this month.

But one Liberal MP pointed out that the Democrats were president for only four years, while the Trudeau government had been in power for much longer.

“There are some fatigues that can’t be cured by smiling,” the MP told CBC News. “It doesn’t work.”

Another Liberal MP said that while the “sunshine ways” message of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris helped bring Trudeau to power in 2015, that approach “no longer resonates with the prime minister.”

Many Liberal MPs said the cabinet must improve its communications strategy because the Liberals’ messaging is too complex compared with the Conservatives.

One Liberal lawmaker said they hope the cabinet will target Republican Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, the same way Harris and her vice presidential candidate, Tim Waltz, have done. They said Harris is actually portraying the Democratic Party as a party of hope and the future and the Republican Party as a party of problems.

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith said he hopes the party will use the ad to “educate Canadians about Poilievre’s track record and the choices facing Canadians.”

One Liberal MP said they still believe Trudeau must resign, while two others said it was too late to find a replacement and that no one was better suited to succeed Poilievre.

Dzerowicz said she supports Trudeau “100 percent.”

A number of Liberal MPs have said they want to see a major cabinet reshuffle to remove ministers who are not delivering on their responsibilities and exerting political influence. A source said the caucus has been circulating a list of cabinet ministers that some MPs want removed from cabinet.

The cabinet recess comes ahead of by-elections in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Quebec, and Elmwood-Transcona, Manitoba, scheduled for Sept. 16.

One Liberal MP told CBC News that if the Liberals lose the Montreal riding, traditionally a strong Liberal seat, it would be “another big blow” and would raise more questions about Trudeau’s leadership.

A second Liberal MP said the by-election would be “very illustrative” and “will go some way to cement the future of the Liberal party”.