Election campaign | Liberal preparation is insufficient, agrees Jean-Yves Duclos

(Gatineau) The level of preparation of Justin Trudeau's Liberals for the next election campaign is not yet sufficient, recognizes the government's lieutenant for Quebec, Jean-Yves Duclos, who carefully avoids directly answering any question on the political future of the Prime Minister.

“Pre-campaign and contrast activities (with the Conservatives) must intensify,” he said in an interview this week. He then spoke of the efforts still to be made, according to him, to make Quebecers and Canadians understand the difference between the possible election of Pierre Poilievre and the continuity, desired by the minister, of the current government.

The one who is also responsible for Public Services and Procurement received La Presse Canadienne on Wednesday in the offices of this ministry, located in Gatineau, before heading towards his constituency of Quebec.

Playing a key role in preparing the Liberals for the next province-wide election, he admits without hesitation that, last September, the government found itself facing a harsh reality after the fall of the Liberal castle of LaSalle-Émard -Verdun, in Montreal, the second to fall in the country in a by-election after that of Toronto–St. Paul's, in the Queen City.

The crushing defeat at the hands of the Bloc occurred three days before the appointment of Mr. Duclos to replace, at short notice, Pablo Rodriguez who was finally jumping into the race for leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.

“The main criticism of the national caucus” was that Justin Trudeau's troops had not succeeded in anchoring their pre-electoral strategy as they “should have deployed it”. “This is a criticism that is well-founded,” in the eyes of the minister.

“What is happening – and this is normal – is that the government has been very busy managing a lot of issues over the last few months and years,” he recalled during the interview, giving the housing crisis as an example.

However, “let's say, from the month of November”, Mr. Duclos considers that notable progress has been made after the appointment of the new campaign director at the pan-Canadian level, Andrew Bevan, and his deputy, Marjorie Michel. He believes that the presentation to elected officials of a plan – as well as updates – for pre-election advertising and the pace of announcements of candidates for the next election have calmed the concerns of deputies.

Here again, he seemed to indicate that the minority government of which he is a part has still been busy elsewhere with priorities turned upside down by the election of Donald Trump in the United States.

“Obviously, it’s a challenge because in the last few weeks, we have also seen what happened south of the border,” he maintained. It is a big challenge for the ministerial team – and the team of deputies in particular – to find the energies that we need to find to prepare for the campaign and make the contrasts (with the conservatives) that will get us there. . »

Called to clarify his remarks on Thursday, Mr. Duclos added on the phone that “we have to go even faster”. “We cannot underestimate the challenges of the next campaign and the importance of preparing for them. »

The minister silent on the future of Mr. Trudeau

The resounding resignation on Monday of the government's number 2 and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, the same day she was to present the fall economic statement, imploded a latent dissension within the Liberal caucus. The number of elected officials wanting the Prime Minister to leave has increased, both regarding MPs speaking behind the scenes and others, openly, like the Franco-Ontarian Francis Drouin.

Elected officials and Mr. Duclos indicated that Mr. Trudeau has since been thinking about the repercussions of the Deputy Prime Minister's departure – having triggered a shock wave – including his political future.

The first public call for the resignation of the state leader and liberal leader dates back to the end of June. The public broadcaster revealed that New Brunswick backbencher Wayne Long called for Mr. Trudeau to walk out the door, first from behind the scenes, three days after the Toronto–St. Paul's.

Mr. Long then emerged from the shadows, followed by a few MPs who publicly called for Mr. Trudeau's departure in October, such as Prince Edward Island MP Sean Casey. At that time, about twenty other members of the Liberal caucus remained anonymous, signing a confidential letter containing their grievances and presented to the Prime Minister.

Everything indicates that Mr. Trudeau, who carried out a major ministerial reshuffle on Friday, was still thinking about his political future on Wednesday at the time of the interview with Mr. Duclos. THE Globe and Mail reported late Thursday evening, based on anonymous sources, echoes from the Prime Minister's inner circle testifying to progress in his thinking going in one direction or the other. The Canadian Press was unable to corroborate the contradictory information reported in this article from the Toronto daily.

One thing is certain, Mr. Trudeau has not responded to questions from the media since Monday. His office canceled all planned end-of-year interviews with the Prime Minister.

Mr. Duclos, when asked by The Canadian Press whether there were other solutions to the crisis than a resignation of Mr. Trudeau, simply replied that the Prime Minister bases his decisions on what is better for Canada, as the main person declared in two speeches he gave Monday and Tuesday at partisan events.

As for whether the minister considers that the cancellation of the end-of-year interviews means, according to his understanding, that Mr. Trudeau wanted to take more time to think about the next steps, Mr. Duclos did not want to comment. .

“I believe that we are all – and not just him – in a mode which recognizes the crisis that we have been experiencing since Monday and (in order to) find as quickly as possible the way to pull ourselves together, to come together to do what we're doing pretty well […]which is to build a better country for all,” he offered in response.

Mr. Duclos clarified Thursday afternoon that his last conversation with Mr. Trudeau dates back to Tuesday.