Trudeau insists he's staying on as Liberal leader. But what if he changes his mind?
The Liberal caucus is set to meet in Nanaimo, B.C., next week for a retreat ahead of the fall parliamentary sitting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists he will lead his party into the next election despite polls citing his unpopularity among Canadians. Here's a look at what would happen if he decided to call it quits.
Could Prime Minister Justin Trudeau step down?
Absolutely. But a decision to step down becomes a lot harder now that the New Democrats have pulled out of a supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, which has helped keep the minority government in power.
If Trudeau were to resign, the New Democrats could vote with the Conservatives on a confidence motion and trigger a snap election. That could leave the Liberal party without a leader as parties vie for votes.
What would happen if he resigned?
An interim leader would be appointed and a leadership race would be triggered. The national president would have 27 days to call a meeting with the party's board of directors. A leadership vote committee would also form to plan, organize and carry out the leadership vote.
How quickly could a new leader be named?
It's not typically a fast process. Trudeau won after a five-month race, but planning was in the works for years.
By comparison, it took two years for the Conservatives to vote in a new leader after Stephen Harper’s resignation following the 2015 election.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a rally for byelection candidate Ian MacIntyre in Winnipeg, Man., Aug. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
The race that brought Pierre Poilievre to the helm of the Conservatives in 2022 lasted eight months.
The Liberal party constitution lays out the process for any potential nominee. They have at least 90 days before a leadership vote to announce their intention to run. They need at least 300 signatures from registered Liberals, 100 of which must come from Liberals in three different provinces.
Could Trudeau resign but finish out his mandate?
Yes. But again, it would be complicated given a Liberal minority government and the threat of a snap election. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh acknowledged this week that an election could happen earlier than initially expected, which is currently set for October of 2025.
Has a prime minister ever stepped down before?
Yes. In 2002, prime minister Jean Chrétien, facing a challenge from former finance minister and longtime rival Paul Martin, announced he would not lead the Liberals into the next election.
And in 1993 prime minister Brian Mulroney resigned as Progressive Conservative leader. Kim Campbell, defence minister in Mulroney's cabinet, won the contest to succeed him.
Trudeau's popularity has also faded, so why is this different?
Chrétien and Mulroney had majority governments, allowing leadership races to unfold without the threat of their administrations falling.
Though there have been rumblings of discontent about Trudeau from within his party, he continues to enjoy the public support of the cabinet and caucus. The exception is Liberal MP Wayne Long, who has called for his resignation.
In addition, there is no obvious heir apparent to Trudeau. Among the rumoured contenders for his job are Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Why were the U.S. Democrats able to replace their candidate for president?
Canada and the U.S. have different systems of government, and Democrats and Liberals have their own sets of party rules.
Even though U.S. President Joe Biden was the Democrats' presumptive nominee for president, he was not yet their official candidate. This allowed the Democrats to switch candidates before their convention in Chicago last month.
It's always up to Democratic delegates at their convention to formally vote for an official presidential nominee.
And because there was no major challenge from within the party, it allowed for a smooth transition to replace Biden's name on the ticket with that of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Can Liberals oust Trudeau?
Unlikely. The Liberal party's constitution says the party leader can be removed only because of a triggering event such as an electoral loss, incapacitation or death.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2024.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tracking Hurricane Milton: Storm becomes world's strongest of 2024
After reaching peak intensity with wind speeds of 180 m.p.h. (285 km/h) on Monday night, Milton became the strongest storm on our planet for 2024.
Hurricane Milton will likely hit Florida cities like Orlando, Tampa and Daytona Beach
Hurricane Milton is expected to leave a path of devastation across central Florida, from Tampa in the west to Daytona Beach in the east.
'This is just horrific': Meteorologist becomes emotional while providing Hurricane Milton update
A seasoned American meteorologist became emotional on air as he gave an update on a major hurricane, later suggesting the reason behind his strong reaction.
'A cause for concern': Canadian universities slip down world ranking list
An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada’s institutions are slipping down its list.
B.C. man convicted of killing neighbour's chihuahua to protect his chickens
A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.
Liberals considering proroguing Parliament amid document impasse? Freeland says 'no'
The minority Liberal government is not considering proroguing Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday, despite persisting uncertainty over who is willing to keep propping them up and procedural wrangling over a Conservative led-privilege debate.
Hertz tells B.C. tribunal online reservations do not 'guarantee' an available car
A man who showed up at a rental car company only to be told his online reservation would not be honoured is entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.
'Extremely disappointed': Family of homicide victim storms out of courtroom as judge reads decision
Emotions boiled over after a judge acquitted two out of three defendants in a manslaughter case, while the third accused has since died.
'I find it really disheartening': Family calls out police after Ottawa senior falls victim to theft in parking lot
On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.
Local Spotlight
Alberta man's hovercraft creation odyssey 'an incredible experience'
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
Saskatchewan's Jessica Campbell becomes first female assistant coach in NHL history
Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
B.C. couple offers Taylor Swift tickets to anyone who can find their missing dog
A B.C. couple is getting desperate – and creative – in their search for their missing dog.
Video shows meteor streaking across Ontario
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
'It’s unbelievable': N.B. man brings Batmobile to superhero fanatic
Bernie Hicks, known as the ‘Batman of Amherst,’ always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.
After four decades of business, Bubi's serves its last meal
Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
New Far North hospital moves closer to being built after $1.8B design, build contract awarded
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Severe winds wreak havoc on southern Manitoba
Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.