Internal pressure was mounting on Trudeau ahead of resignation, N.L. MP says

The outspoken Liberal MP for Avalon says he's glad Justin Trudeau has decided to step down. 

Ken McDonald is among the MPs from Trudeau's own party who called for his resignation, and citing mounting pressure from Liberal colleagues across Canada, McDonald says he believes Trudeau was going to step down sooner or later.

"I guess he figured this was the best time," McDonald told CBC News Monday.

"I think the pressure was getting heavier and heavier each day that we went on with Trudeau as the leader of the party," he said.

McDonald is among Liberal MPs in the Atlantic caucus who signed a letter calling on Trudeau to resign in October.

Trudeau, who became Liberal leader in 2013 and prime minister in the fall of 2015, announced his resignation on Monday, saying Gov. Gen. Mary Simon had granted his request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.

The announcement comes amid low polling numbers for Trudeau  — who, according to CBC's poll tracker, trails  Conservative Pierre Poilievre by over 24 percentage points — months of internal calls for change, and a public, high-profile resignation last month by former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Who comes next is crucial to the Liberal party's future, says Avalon MP:

MP who called for Trudeau to resign says there are others who would do a good job as leader

2 days ago

Duration 0:57

Outspoken Liberal MP Ken McDonald says he’s glad Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to resign. Now, McDonald says what happens to the federal Liberals in the next election depends on who becomes the next leader. And he tells the CBC’s Mark Quinn there’s no shortage of strong contenders.

But McDonald said he'll remember Trudeau for several key accomplishments over his nine years as prime minister, like implementing the Canada Child Care Benefit, $10-a-day childcare and the Canadian Dental Care Plan, among others.

"His time as prime minister and as a Liberal government — I think it will be remembered fondly, I think, by Canadians," he said.

While he has told Trudeau he won't be running for the party in the next election, he said, McDonald hopes to stand behind the next leader of the party in the coming months. He said he believes he has several colleagues with "prime ministerial attributes" who could step into the role, but may be waiting to announce their intentions out of respect for Trudeau.

Announcement might be too late: political science prof

Meanwhile, Amanda Bittner, a political science professor at Memorial University, thinks Trudeau's announcement was a long time coming given his polling numbers and public perception.

But, she believes his decision came too late and puts the party in a precarious position.

"It seems like there were a number of natural moments where a resignation might have happened in the past, and yet it didn't," Bittner said Monday.

WATCH | This political commentator says Trudeau's farewell might be too little, too late:

Trudeau waited too long to resign, next Liberal leader has even tougher road ahead: MUN prof

2 days ago

Duration 0:41

Justin Trudeau’s resignation was “a long time coming,” says Memorial University political science professor Amanda Bittner. So long, in fact, that Bittner says whoever steps into Trudeau’s shoes could face even more of a challenge to win over the public.

"Can they find a new leader in the next couple of months? Sure. Is that enough time for voters to get to know that person [and]...to mount a major campaign? Maybe, maybe not."

Bittner said she believes prorogation of Parliament was the only viable path forward for the Liberal party, because it allows Trudeau and the party time to plan next steps — including ones related to the next federal election — free from the ire of their political opposition.

"A couple of months might make a difference depending on how the leadership race goes and who takes over the helm, but there's no way of predicting," she said.

Bittner said she expects a federal election to be called in the four weeks following prorogation, and that a non-confidence vote will likely topple Trudeau's government.

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