Liberal MP Ken McDonald has openly challenged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership and called for a party-wide vote to reassess their confidence in him.

The Newfoundland MP’s stance marks a pivotal shift in the party dynamics, which until now has largely shown unwavering support for the Prime Minister.

“As a party, let’s clear the air and if people are still intent on having the leader we have now, fine,” McDonald said during an interview with CBC Radio-Canada. “But at least give people the opportunity to have their say in what they think the direction the party is going.”

He added: “There’s almost a hatred out there right now for Prime Minister Trudeau.”

McDonald’s call for a leadership vote follows Tuesday’s Federal Court ruling that found Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act against the Freedom Convoy protesters to have violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

McDonald’s stance is not without precedent. He previously diverged from the party line by supporting a Conservative motion to suspend the carbon tax, a policy central to the Trudeau government’s environmental agenda. 

“Everywhere I go, people come up to me and say, you know, ‘We’re losing faith in the Liberal party,” he said on October 5, 2023.

McDonald also suggested that former Greenpeace radical and current Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault isn’t liked by Atlantic Canadians, and is not the right spokesperson for the carbon tax.

“I get it, where he came from, and his whole idea of making a big difference in climate change, but you can’t do it all overnight. You can’t make it more expensive on people than what they can handle. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now.”

Trudeau’s net favourability score hits all time low, poll shows

A January 11 Abacus Data survey shows Trudeau’s net favourability is at an all time low. A whopping 59% of the poll’s respondents said they have a negative impression of Trudeau, with only 25% indicating they have a positive impression of him.