Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says Trudeau should resign

Montreal MP Anthony Housefather has joined the number of Liberals who are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside, saying Monday that he believes the party leader is past his "shelf life."

This marks the first time the longtime Liberal MP for Mount Royal has publicly said he wants his party's leader to step aside. The comments come after the surprise resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, ahead of a possible tariff war with the incoming U.S. president, delivering a major blow to the Trudeau government.

During an interview with CTV Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos, he was blunt when he voiced his opinion on whether Trudeau should stay on as leader.

"Do you think the prime minister should resign?" he was asked.

"Yes," Housefather responded before being asked why.

"I had asked him to do so a couple of months ago. I had written to him. I had said it at caucus. I think at this point most Canadians are fiscally prudent and socially liberal. They see the Conservative Party has strayed far to the right. They feel the Liberal Party has strayed far to the left and if the prime minister remains, I believe he is the ballot question," Housefather said.

"Every Canadian, before they ask anything else, will be saying, 'Do I want Justin Trudeau to stay prime minister or not?' And through, you know, a lot of issues internationally you all see governments are unpopular. Incumbents have a certain shelf life in social media age. I believe the prime minister has passed that shelf life. And I think that for Canadians to have a real choice on the table in terms of things that they will go beyond just saying do they want him to be prime minister or not. We need to have a different leader with a different vision for the Liberal Party to be viable in the next election."

He was joined on the show by Ontario MP Helena Jaczek, who agreed it's time for Trudeau to step down, saying her constituents have told her they would support the Liberals if Trudeau were not at the helm.

Housefather has clashed with his own party in the past and even contemplated whether he would stay a Liberal.

In September 2023, he was relieved of his duty as parliamentary secretary. Political analysts believe it was retribution for Housefather being the only Liberal MP to vote against the federal language bill, Bill C-13, which included a reference to Quebec's controversial Bill 96.

Earlier this year, he even contemplated crossing the floor to the Conservative Party after the last-minute rewriting of a non-binding, symbolic motion regarding the recognition of Palestinian statehood, which he said made him feel "isolated."

He ultimately decided against leaving the Liberal Party after speaking with his constituents.

Liberals 'at a precipice right now'

Last October, Housefather endorsed a "robust caucus discussion" about whether Trudeau should stay on as leader but stopped short of saying he should step aside.

That all changed Monday when Freeland said she was leaving her cabinet position after being told by the prime minister that he no longer wanted her in that role. The move prompted more calls inside and outside the party for the Liberal leader to leave.

Housefather said in the CTV interview that the party is "at a precipice right now" based on his conversations with his constituents who told him that they want to vote Liberal in the next general election, but "would prefer [Trudeau] not be the leader at this point," and the fact that the Liberals are "20 points behind in the polls."

"I really believe that the rest of caucus now needs to seriously reflect on the message that Chrystia gave today. They need to seriously reflect on where we are in the polls," he said.

"I think people want to see actual change, and I think we have a choice right now. We're at a precipice. We either make the change or we don't."

With files from CTV News' Rachel Aiello