Justin Trudeau says Monday he is “committed” to staying on as prime minister after the Liberals’ shocking Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection loss exactly one week ago.
“There’s always going to be lots of reflection after a tough loss, but there’s also so much to do,” Trudeau told CBC’s Heather Hiscox, answering questions about his future for the first time since the upset.
Before last week’s vote, a Conservative candidate hadn’t been competitive in the federal riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s since the 1980s. The party hadn’t won a seat in urban Toronto since the 2011 federal election.
Conservative Don Stewart secured the breakthrough, beating Liberal candidate Leslie Church by 590 votes. The Liberals won the seat in the 2021 election by well over 10,000 votes.
On Monday, Trudeau remained defiant amid criticism from some in his own party, insisting he is not backing down.
“I am committed to doing the work of building a better Canada every single day, so I look forward to next year’s Canada Day and I look forward to many more Canada Days,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau spoke as part of an annual Canada Day interview with CBC News. He refused to take any questions from media at his events last week.
Calls for Trudeau to resign
In the week since the byelection loss, current and former Liberal MPs have called for Trudeau to resign as leader of the party — at first privately with journalists, and now publicly.
On Friday, Liberal backbencher Wayne Long became the first Liberal caucus member to openly call for Trudeau’s resignation.
Liberal backbencher, former cabinet minister call on Trudeau to go
New Brunswick Liberal MP Wayne Long has circulated an email to caucus calling for Justin Trudeau to quit as party leader after a recent shock byelection loss in Toronto. This comes after a statement to CBC News from former cabinet minister Catherine McKenna called for “new energy and a new leader.”
“For the future of our party and for the good of our country, we need new leadership and a new direction,” the New Brunswick MP wrote in an email to the whole 155-strong Liberal caucus last week.
“The voters have spoken loud and clear they want change. I agree.”
The Saint John-Rothesay MP, who has spoken out against his government in the past, is not re-offering in the next election.
Joining the ranks of former caucus members calling for a new Liberal party leader is Catherine McKenna. She is the first person who served in Trudeau’s cabinet to call on him to quit.
“The Liberal Party isn’t about one person. It’s about the values it stands for and it’s about improving the lives of Canadians,” said McKenna, who served as a prominent Liberal cabinet minister under Trudeau from 2015 to 2021, in a statement to CBC News.
“The prime minister has a legacy to be proud of, but it’s time for new ideas, new energy and a new leader. There’s too much at stake in this election, especially on the economy and the climate.”
The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that two additional former MPs — Wayne Easter, who served from 2000 to 2001, and John Manley, who served from 1988 to 2004 — also feel that Trudeau must resign as party leader. Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould added her “+1” to the Globe’s story posted on X.
David Herle, chief campaign strategist for the Liberals under former prime minister Paul Martin, told Power & Politics Thursday that Justin Trudeau should be asking himself, ‘What’s the risk of me leaving, what’s the risk of me staying?’ as some Liberal MPs are questioning Trudeau’s leadership following the party’s shocking byelection loss in Toronto-St. Paul’s.
On Saturday, Nepean MP Chandra Arya also posted on X, sharing publicly what he wrote to his caucus colleagues with respect to Trudeau’s leadership.
“In my view [Trudeau] has taken [the] party and the government too far left of centre,” wrote Arya. He went on to say the prime minister and his team “have made several wrong policy/strategic choices” over the years, without elaborating what they are.
Arya, however, ended his tweet reaffirming his support in Trudeau’s leadership: “I reaffirm my trust and confidence in [Trudeau] and look forward to fighting the next election under his leadership.”
Arya is among a large group of MPs, including several cabinet ministers, who have publicly backed Trudeau in recent days, insisting he is the one best placed to take on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Conservative candidate Don Stewart hugs a supporter as the results came in during the Toronto-St. Paul’s federal byelection on June 24. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)
Also over the weekend, Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who represents the urban Toronto riding of Beaches-East York, said in a video Trudeau should put the question of his leadership to the Liberal membership.
“Let’s have members, activists, organizers and grassroots donors across the country decide,” he said.
MPs say Trudeau needs to meet with caucus
A growing number of Liberal MPs have also told CBC News that the national caucus needs to meet as soon as possible to discuss the fallout from the byelection loss, and are arguing the gathering can’t wait until the caucus retreat scheduled for the end of the summer.
Newfoundland and Labrador MP Ken McDonald, who has voted against his own party twice on the carbon tax, stressed the need for an urgent, in-person caucus meeting with Trudeau.
One Liberal MP, Jenica Atwin who represents Fredericton, told CBC News during a media availability Wednesday that “It’s almost a shame that we’re not gathering as a caucus until after the summer, but I think the focus right now is on our community members.”
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on Monday on the calls for an in-person caucus meeting. Press secretary Jenna Ghassabeh told CBC News the office had nothing to add. Liberal caucus chair Brenda Shanahan did not respond to CBC’s request for comment.
Sources told Radio-Canada that officials from Trudeau’s team started calling caucus members to get feedback on the party’s direction after Liberal candidate Leslie Church’s surprise loss to Conservative candidate Don Stewart.
The fear now that the Liberals’ Toronto fortress has been breached is that few seats can be described as safe. Multiple Liberals have pointed with dread at the soon-to-be-called byelection in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun.
Conservative breakthrough in Toronto seen as message to Trudeau, Liberals
A Conservative byelection win in a Toronto stronghold is being seen by many as a message to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals that it’s time for major change in the party and who leads it.
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.
Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.
However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
