Amid electoral losses and rising tensions with India, Trudeau faces pressure from Liberal MPs for leadership change

Amid electoral losses and rising tensions with India, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing increasing pressure from “concerned” Liberal MPs who are working together to urge him to step down as leader of the Liberal Party.

According to a Times of India report, citing the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), recent electoral defeats in the Toronto-St. Paul’s and Montreal by-elections have heightened dissatisfaction with Trudeau’s leadership, leading discontented MPs to discuss the possibility of a leadership change.

Dissatisfaction among party members has led to a series of secret meetings where MPs are being asked to sign a pledge supporting a leadership change, added the report citing high-level sources and involved MPs.

The initiative aims to consolidate backing for Trudeau’s ousting, with at least 20 MPs reportedly having signed the document so far.

The urgency of these discussions has intensified during Trudeau’s absence from Parliament for an international summit in Laos. Frustration within the caucus is evident, particularly regarding unresolved issues surrounding key appointments, such as the replacement for Jeremy Broadhurst, the recently resigned campaign director.

According to the report, with an election approaching in this minority government context, many MPs feel pressured to take decisive action to reverse the party’s declining fortunes.

According to the CBC’s Poll Tracker, Trudeau’s leadership has further been threatened by internal tensions and poor polling, with the Liberals trailing the Conservatives by around 20 percentage points.

The recent withdrawal of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from a supply-and-confidence agreement has left Trudeau’s government even more vulnerable, fueling calls for his resignation from within his own ranks. The NDP, led by Jagmeet Singh, has faced scrutiny for its ties to the Khalistani movement, adding complexity to discussions about its influence on Trudeau’s government.

Tensions between Canada and India have escalated under Trudeau, particularly after he alleged Indian government involvement in the assassination of pro-Khalistani figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

Trudeau’s claims of credible allegations have strained diplomatic relations and heightened concerns over rising Khalistani sentiments in Canada. The Indian government has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “absurd” and politically motivated.

In the latest escalation, India on Monday said it has received a diplomatic communication from Canada suggesting the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats are “persons of interest” in an investigation, and described the “imputations” as “preposterous”.

“We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau government that is centered around vote bank politics,” the MEA said in a statement.

The “aspersions” cast on the Indian high commissioner by the government of Canada are “ludicrous” and “deserve to be treated with contempt”, the statement added.

“India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats,” it added.

India has maintained that the main issue between the two countries is Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from its soil with impunity.

In its statement on Monday, the MEA also said, “Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the government of India, despite many requests from our side.”

“This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts,” it said.

“This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,” the ministry said.

Prime Minister Trudeau’s “hostility to India has long been in evidence”. His visit to India in 2018, which was “aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort”, the statement said.

“His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India. His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard,” it said.

That his government was dependent on a political party whose leader “openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-a-vis India” only aggravated matters, it added.

“Under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his Government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage,” the ministry said.

“This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction. It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains,” it said.

To that end, the Trudeau government has “consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada”, the statement said.

This has included “death threats” to them and to Indian leaders. All these activities have been “justified” in the name of freedom of speech, it said.

Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. Multiple extradition requests from the government of India in respect of terrorists and organised crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded, the MEA said.

High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years. He has been an ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China, the ministry asserted.

The government of India has taken cognisance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India that serve the political agenda of the current regime. This led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation, it said.

With inputs from agencies