Liberal cabinet ministers stand behind embattled Trudeau
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OTTAWA — Despite recent high-profile departures and building unrest within the Liberal caucus, what’s left of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet stands firmly behind their leader.
Speaking to reporters while heading into Monday’s cabinet meeting, Health Minister Mark Holland reaffirmed his admiration for Trudeau, lovingly describing the Liberal Party leader as a misunderstood punching bag taking hits on behalf of all Canadians.
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“This is a guy who has taken responsibility for everything, trying to find solutions to every problem — and yes, right now that means everybody is blaming him,” Holland told reporters.
“What does that actually mean to get rid of somebody who every day stands up and is willing to take the punches, the anxiety and the hurt of the nation? That’s somebody I admire, that’s somebody who I think can lead us in times like that, somebody who has that personal fortitude to take the attacks that he’s taking and keep moving forward and keep doing the right thing for the country.”
Many cabinet ministers, including Mary Ng, breezed past the scrum without making any comments.
Justice Minister Arif Virani maintained his confidence in Trudeau.
“I support the prime minister, I’m heading into the cabinet meeting, he’s the leader of the government, I’m a part of that government, I support the prime minister,” he said during his brief remarks.
It was revealed last week that at least 20 Liberal caucus members signed a letter demanding that Trudeau step down, in light of cratering support for both the party and the prime minister.
Trudeau’s cabinet has also seen a number of high-profile resignations over the past few months, including Filomena Tassi, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Pablo Rodriquez, Seamus O’Regan, Dan Vandal and Carla Qualtrough.
When asked about the Bloc Québécois’ ultimatum to increase benefits for low-income seniors or they’ll join the Tories in pushing for a non-confidence vote, Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos deferred questions to the leader of the Bloc.
“We are certainly focused on making the government work for Canadians,” he said.
“That’s exactly what people expect, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing.”
When asked if Trudeau could lead the Liberals into the next election, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said yes.
“Absolutely,” he told reporters.
“I think what you’ll see is the vast majority of caucus and the entirety of cabinet is behind him.”
When asked about the implications of an impending caucus revolt, Holland said it’s actually a sign of a healthy party.
“Having a debate as a party about our future and where we should go is something that I welcome, I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” he said.
“I think it’s a sign of a strong, democratic caucus … but I think these conversations around how we deal with the difficult times that we’re in and how we try to find answers and how we try to lead are totally appropriate, so I don’t mind my colleagues having these conversations.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
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