Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced his caucus for the first time Wednesday since rebuffing calls from two dozen Liberals to resign. He seemed to satiate some MPs’ concerns, with a presentation on party campaign strategy that includes rolling out new ads.
Heading into the meeting, some Liberal MPs were still pushing the idea of a secret ballot vote to put the questions around Trudeau’s leadership to rest.
“I think the question should be asked to the prime minister if he supports a secret ballot, and if not, why not,” Ontario Liberal MP Yvan Baker told reporters.
Others wanted clarity on how Trudeau intends to turn the party’s fortunes around.
“What’s the plan to win the next election?” said Ontario Liberal MP Salma Zahid, when asked what she wanted to hear during Wednesday’s meeting.
Behind closed doors, newly appointed Liberal national campaign director Andrew Bevan presented MPs with the party’s campaign readiness plans for how they plan to clinch re-election.
Part of the plan, MPs heard during the two-hour meeting, is launching a new national ad campaign aimed at contrasting the Liberal record and what Trudeau has accomplished, with what’s at risk of being cut by the Conservative alternative.
Members of Parliament were shown ads during their meeting, CTV News has confirmed.
“When you look at the outsized spending on advertising between the Conservative party and the Liberal party, we have to close that gap,” said Ontario Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith.
“The fundraising numbers are quite strong for the Liberal party, which was well received, I think, today. But we also have to put that money in play in an effective way, and I think Bevan started to articulate a plan that made sense on that front,” he said. “It’s definitely the right step forward… now it’s about implementation.”
Erskine-Smith said he expects the ads to vary, some featuring Trudeau prominently and others not.
“I think you want to have a range of different ads, and you want to have a range of different ads on different platforms. And whatever performs the best, you’ve got to throw your money into that effort,” he said.
The federal Conservatives are far outpacing all other parties in fundraising efforts, and have been running a series of digital and broadcast ad campaigns featuring Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, for some time.
“Innovative advertising campaigns in the lead-up to and during the 2015, 2019, and 2021 elections were an important part of how the Liberal Party of Canada successfully connected with more Canadians than ever before about Justin Trudeau’s positive plan to invest in the middle class,” said Liberal Party of Canada spokesperson Parker Lund in an email. “And the same will be the case for the next election, whenever it may arise.”
Bevan was initially supposed to present to caucus last week before the push from some MPs for Trudeau to reflect on his leadership took centre stage.
In a recent fundraising blast to Liberal loyalists, Bevan vowed to “help build a winning campaign that re-elects Justin Trudeau and even more Liberal MPs so we can keep building a better future for all Canadians.”
Liberal minister from Quebec Steven MacKinnon said he thinks “everyone has total confidence” in their new campaign lead.
Bevan’s presentation also seems to have blunted some of the chatter around ousting Trudeau, with MPs telling reporters on their way out of Wednesday’s meeting that the leadership issue was not a main focus.
“The focus of this conversation today was very much focused on what are the next steps from a party perspective… And people were able to weigh in with their own feedback,” Erskine-Smith said.
“What I saw today could only have been better if I’d written it myself. No, I got answers today that I really, really like. Now, the nature of those answers… of course, have to stay inside caucus,” British Columbia Liberal MP Ken Hardie said, in an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play.
“I think our friends over on the Conservative side will have a few things to be worried about,” Hardie added.
However, not all Liberal MPs came out of the meeting feeling as if their concerns were addressed.
“I think there’s a lot of people that are still looking for some answers… I’m sure there are a lot of folks that are not quite satisfied,” said British Columbia Liberal MP Patrick Weiler.
“It’s important to keep in mind that Mr. Bevan just started a week and a half ago, so he’s got a lot of work to do,” Weiler said. “This, I think is a start today, but I’m looking forward to seeing a more fulsome plan as it rolls out.”
Those backing Trudeau say he’s proven himself to be a strong campaigner before, and they’re confident he can do it again.
“I’ve been through five leaders. This is my fifth leader. Most of the time they’re unpopular but we still manage to win,” said Ontario Liberal MP Judy Sgro.
Though, pollster Nik Nanos said Wednesday that it’ll take more than a solid ad buy and a unified caucus for Trudeau to overcome Canadians’ eyeing the next campaign as a chance to vote for change.
“These ads are probably a first step to make some Liberals that are nervous about the upcoming election a little less nervous,” Nanos said.
“But the reality is, is that when you have a significant lead and you’ve been trailing for more than a year, it’s really hard to turn that around. Justin Trudeau needs everything to go right for him and everything to go wrong for both Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh.”
The prime minister may still have time to chart his path towards another victory, with the NDP Leader stating today that after Trudeau lost the Bloc Quebecois’ backing this week, he won’t let them, or the Conservatives dictate when the Liberal minority government could be brought down.
“I will not let Pierre Poilievre… or the Bloc call the shots. I don’t want a Liberal government. I don’t want Justin Trudeau as prime minister. There will be an election, and when that election comes, people will have an important choice,” Singh said.
