Liberal cabinet has ‘tremendous confidence’ in Prime Minister Trudeau despite polling

Members of the Liberal government cabinet say they have “tremendous confidence” in Prime Minister Trudeau despite polling numbers and questions surrounding his leadership.

Trudeau and his ministers are in Halifax for a three-day cabinet retreat to prepare for the upcoming fall sitting of Parliament.

“All of us here have tremendous confidence in the prime minister. We have confidence in him as the leader of our government, as the prime minister of Canada, and we have confidence in him as our party’s leader,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Monday in Halifax.

For more than a year, the Liberals have consistently trailed in the polls behind the federal Conservatives. Back in June, the Liberals also suffered a byelection loss in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul, which had been a party stronghold for more than 30 years. That loss prompted Liberal backbencher Wayne Long to write an open letter calling on the prime minister to resign, while another small group of MPs requested an emergency caucus meeting to discuss the results.

While Immigration Minister Marc Miller acknowledged conversations about the state of the party have happened behind closed doors, he also reiterated his support for the prime minister.

“Anyone that wants to be the prime minister of this country has to have a vision for Canada and I think the prime minister is doing a great job in making sure that he’s reflecting (on) what Canadians are saying and hearing,” Miller said on Monday.

In Halifax, Trudeau was repeatedly asked about his leadership and whether the party is taking any lessons from south of the border after U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out as the Democratic presidential nominee last month.

“I think the big lesson is in responding to the things that people are actually worried about, responding with real solutions to the most pressing issues facing Canadians,” Trudeau said.

The prime minister also said he remains “focused on being there for Canadians” after speaking to voters over the summer.

“They want to see a strong future for Canadians. They want to see opportunities for their kids,” Trudeau said. “That’s what we’re working on every single day to deliver. That’s what I’m focused on. That’s what I’m excited about.”

Leading up to the retreat in Halifax, there had been speculation that Trudeau might shuffle his cabinet as a reset for his minority Liberal government, but so far, that has yet to happen.

Two other federal byelections are coming up on Sept. 16 in the ridings of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Que., and Elmwood-Transcona, Man. The Liberal party has won all three elections in the Quebec riding since it was created, but recent polling shows it could be a three-way race between the major federal parties.

“I’m confident that we can win the byelection in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters.

But Joly also admitted the Liberals have more work to do.

“Are people preoccupied about affordability, housing? Of course they are, and we’re not disconnected from that. So we need to work on it, and we need to be able to provide the hope that is necessary in these times where a lot of people are feeling lots of anxiety,” Joly said.