Immigration minister calls attempt to oust PM 'passive-aggressive ... weak'
Liberal caucus risks 'sleepwalking' into a Conservative win, Miller warns
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Friday that an attempt by Liberal caucus members to get Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down is "the most passive-aggressive" display he has ever seen.
Miller told host Marcy Markusa on CBC's Information Radio that any MP who signed a letter calling for Trudeau to be replaced as leader "owes it" to the prime minister to tell him personally.
"If they're fearful, that's a reflection on them and their own leadership in their communities," he said.
Multiple news outlets, including CBC, have reported that Liberal MPs will in the coming days present a document to Trudeau signed by caucus members who are asking him to step down from the leadership.
Trudeau has said repeatedly he intends to lead the Liberal Party into the next election.
Miller called the alleged push to oust Trudeau "weak" and said any MP involved would "look horribly entitled and worried about their own futures."
The immigration minister said the caucus should focus on the "bigger threat" ahead of it — "sleepwalking into a [Conservative Leader] Pierre Poilievre win" — something he said some Liberals are doing now.
Trudeau "got [the Liberal MPs] where they are today for the most part, and they owe it to him to say things to his face," Miller said, adding that Trudeau "fundamentally cares about this country and he's going to fight for every inch of it."
Sources say that nearly 30 MPs have signed a document calling for a change in leadership. CBC News first reported on that document last week.
A separate letter, which some Liberal MPs may present to Trudeau before the Wednesday caucus meeting, was being finalized over the days leading up to the weekend.
Sources who are part of the signature collection effort say they believe there are other MPs who have not signed the document but will call publicly for Trudeau to step aside when the Liberal caucus meets on Wednesday.
Those sources point to MPs like Sean Casey, who told Power & Politics host David Cochrane on Tuesday that Trudeau should step aside. The MP for Charlottetown said he was not part of the organized effort to oust the prime minister.
Vandal, Freeland, Joly express loyalty to PM
On Friday, cabinet ministers continued to voice their support for Trudeau, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and MP Dan Vandal — who announced on Thursday that he will not be seeking re-election.
"It does not mean that I've lost confidence in our party and in our prime minister," Vandal said at a news conference in Winnipeg on Friday. "I'm very confident that the polls are going to tighten up as time goes on, and I think it would be foolish to vote against the Liberal Party."
At the same news conference, Freeland said Trudeau has her "full support" as leader of the government and the Liberal Party.
"In our caucus, as in any other caucus, there is going to be a wide range of views," she said. "I am absolutely confident that the vast majority of members of our caucus support the prime minister."
In Montreal on Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told a news conference the prime minister can "count on my loyalty."
With files from Marcy Markusa, David Cochrane, Michael Woods and Jessica Rubinger