Sea to Sky Member of Parliament Patrick Weiler is taking a big gamble, being one of the prominent faces of the “Trudeau resign!” brigade.
Weiler read a letter signed by 24 MPs to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Oct. 23 at the Liberal Party of Canada’s national caucus meeting, calling for the leader to resign by Oct. 28.
On the one hand, it was a brave thing to do.
He is risking his political career, and some may say his constituency’s power—it is hard to see how, were Trudeau to win again, Weiler wouldn’t be punished somehow for this attempt at unseating him—for what he clearly thinks is the best thing for his party.
Weiler can see the writing on the wall that Trudeau seems blind to. Rightly or wrongly, people want change.
Trudeau’s Sunny Ways doesn’t feel so sunny anymore, as most of us struggle to pay our bills, and our adult kids can’t live in the same communities we do, given the cost of housing.
The sense is that Trudeau is tone-deaf to what matters most when times are tough—“The economy, stupid,” as Bill Clinton’s strategist James Carville said in 1992.
Weiler is reading the tea leaves correctly.
The site 338Canada, which makes respected electoral projections, is forecasting 99% odds of the Conservative Party of Canada winning the federal election (had it been held today.
Yet, in response to the letter Weiler read, Trudeau said, no, thank you. I shall stay.
Given that only 24 MPs out of 152 signed the letter, he feels he can afford to ignore them.
“Ruh Roh.”
And, while it takes big cojones for Weiler to stand up against Trudeau, it is also opportunistic and disloyal.
Weiler got on this ship thanks in large part to its captain, who he then abandoned when the seas got rough, to save his own bacon from frying at the polls.
Now, most of the ink being spilled is about the rift rather than what the Liberals will or won’t do for voters.
Meanwhile, the organized Conservative ship speeds past, with its course clear and no dissension (that we can see) on board.
Weiler has to wear that, too.
So ultimately, now Weiler is in a precarious situation.
He will either be forced to campaign with voters, knowing he likely can’t do a lot for us due to his rebelliousness and that he is still on a sinking ship.
Or, with the election about a year away, maybe, Trudeau will ultimately resign and reinvigorate the party, uplifting Weiler with it.
Anything is possible in politics, as we have seen of late.
But the way things are headed, it is much more likely Weiler will be back being one of us civilians within the year, watching Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre steer a new ship.
