Trudeau says Liberal party is ‘strong and united’ after caucus meeting

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was smiling this afternoon as he walked out of a weekly caucus meeting where some MPs had planned to confront him about his leadership.

Trudeau said the Liberal party is “strong and united” following the meeting on Parliament Hill, which lasted about three hours.

Liberal MPs were tight-lipped about what happened behind the closed doors but those who did speak with reporters as they left the meeting also said the party is united.

MP Charles Sousa said the party is “standing strong” to ensure that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre does not win the next election.

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

Liberal MP Sean Casey was the first to publicly confirm that he signed a letter calling for Trudeau’s resignation but hasn’t said how many other MPs have joined him.

On Monday, Casey said Canadians are no longer listening to Trudeau and that he has become a distraction.

There is no mechanism that would allow the Liberal caucus to force Trudeau’s resignation because the Liberal caucus did not opt to endorse a bill that would give Liberal MPs the ability to force a leadership review from within the caucus.

MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who supports Trudeau, said the Prime Minister needs to take the concerns and incorporate them into changes moving forward.

Erskine-Smith also had this message for other Liberals: “My colleagues need to turn the knives outwards and not inwards, and we need to focus on the most important thing, which is getting things done here in Parliament and taking the fight to Pierre Poilievre because he is a disaster for this country.”

Meanwhile NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh appears to be using this turmoil in the Liberal ranks to make an appeal to disgruntled Grits.

“You’re watching the Liberals right now and you’re losing hope, don’t. Don’t give up, don’t lose hope, you can join us,” Singh said.

Trudeau has showed no signs that he plans to step down from the top job.

With files from Laura Osman, Rosa Saba and David Baxter, The Canadian Press