By ROB GILLIES Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — Some lawmakers from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party asked him Wednesday not to seek a fourth term, in one of the biggest tests of his political career.
Three Liberal MPs said they were among more than 20 party lawmakers who signed a letter asking Trudeau to decline to run before the next election. There are 153 Liberals in Canada's House of Commons.
“You have to start listening to people,” said Ken McDonald, a Liberal MP from Newfoundland, who said he signed the letter, which has not been made public.
McDonald, who will not seek re-election, said some of his colleagues who are considering running are concerned about low poll numbers. Wayne Long of New Brunswick and Sean Casey of Prince Edward Island have also publicly said they signed the letter.
Trudeau, who has already expressed his intention to run again, met with Liberal lawmakers for three hours on Wednesday.
“The Liberal Party is strong and united,” a smiling Trudeau told reporters after the meeting. The Liberals then applauded him enthusiastically when he spoke in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister thanked them.
His ministers publicly supported him.
“At that moment, what one might call a palace drama occurs. And that takes us away from the main task, which is to focus on Canadians,” declared Labor Minister Randy Boissonnault, a member of the Liberal Party.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller, also a Liberal and close friend of Trudeau, said Tuesday that anonymously complaining about the prime minister was “bullshit,” but softened his language Wednesday when he left the meeting before it ends.
“This is something that I think has been in the making for a while, and it’s important for people to get it out there,” Miller said. “What happened there, although it will remain confidential, is really about MPs telling the Prime Minister the truth, whether he wants to hear it or not.”