Trudeau threatens vote of no confidence over declining popularity

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is fighting for his political existence as his popularity plummets and a vote of no confidence looms.

In a sign of the challenges facing the 52-year-old prime minister, Trudeau’s Liberal Party has its back against the wall in a by-election in Quebec’s federal constituency of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun.

The Liberals would normally have expected to win Monday’s election, but polls showed their candidate was being heavily outgunned by the Bloc Québécois.

Meanwhile, Conservatives in Parliament are threatening to table a motion of no confidence later this week in Trudeau, who has led a minority government since the 2021 election.

The Liberals had been relying on a supply-and-confidence agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP). But last week the NDP terminated the agreement that had served as a lifeline for Mr. Trudeau.

Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called on his NDP colleague Jagmeet Singh to support the motion of no confidence and call new elections.

“Will Jagmeet Singh betray Canadians again?” Mr. Poilievre said at a news conference in Ottawa. “It’s time for the NDP to put up or shut up.”

Mr Singh replied that he will not be pressured.

“I’ve said that in every vote we will look at the vote and make our decision,” Mr. Singh told a party meeting in Montreal. “We will determine what is best for Canadians. Unlike Pierre Poilievre who wants to play games, we want to actually get things done for Canadians.”

Voters are angry, Trudeau admits

Trudeau, who still insists he will lead the party into an election due by the end of October 2025, suggested voters in Monday’s byelection would be inclined to cast their ballots because of anger over rising prices and the housing crisis.

“Canadians are struggling right now with the high cost of living. They are very frustrated,” he said last week.

Trudeau, who has been prime minister for nine years, has seen his approval rating plummet from 63 percent when he was first elected prime minister in 2008 to 28 percent in June of this year.

His popularity has declined as voters grapple with rising living costs and a housing crisis, fueled in part by the rise in the number of temporary residents, such as foreign students and workers.

This has caused serious problems for the Liberal Party, with a recent by-election where its candidate lost a seat the party had held for 30 years.

Polls suggest the Liberals will lose heavily to the Conservatives in the next federal election. A Leger poll last week put the Conservatives at 45 per cent, a level of broad support rarely seen in Canada, with the Liberals in second place at 25 per cent.

If the Liberals lose in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, there is a good chance that the blame will again fall on Trudeau.

Some Liberal politicians are even breaking ranks and calling for change at the top. Alexandra Mendes, a Liberal lawmaker representing a Quebec constituency, said many of her constituents wanted Trudeau to go.

“I didn’t hear it from two, three people — I heard it from dozens and dozens of people,” she told public broadcaster Radio-Canada last week. “He’s no longer the right leader.”