Grande Prairie—Mackenzie MP Chris Warkentin says while federal conservatives are happy to see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau step down as party leader as soon as his replacement is found; the work of the opposition party is far from over.
Warkentin says that based on his observations, the “vast majority” of Canadians have been waiting for Trudeau’s resignation for some time now, but the MP calls out the entire Liberal caucus saying “every single” Liberal member should be held accountable for their party’s policies.
“Today was awaited by the vast majority of Canadians, Canadians have grown tired of Trudeau, not only in the Peace Country but throughout the country,” he says. “As I’ve travelled, I’ve heard of people that had been supporters of the Liberals, that had waken up to the completely, out of touch [government] with the average Canadian, but today the announcement renders no change.”
“Every single Liberal in that entire caucus, every person that’s vying for the Liberal leadership to replace Trudeau has supported every single policy that Justin Trudeau has brought forward.”
Warkentin indicates that given the news, his party will continue to advocate for an election sooner than later, despite the Liberal decision to “lock” Parliament up for the next few months.
“What we’re calling for, and what we’ve been calling for, is an election to allow Canadians to make a decision as to which direction they want to take the country, and what Justin Trudeau has announced is a plan to allow Liberals to decide who’s going to be the next Prime Minister,” he says. “We do know that an election is coming, and we do know that, at some point, Canadians will be able to render judgment on this government.”
The longtime Tory MP adds that the threat of tariffs from the American president-elect continues to loom in the north, and strong leadership will be a significant factor when it comes to Canada’s relationship with the states.
“At a time when Canadians do need strong leadership, we see threats coming from the United States in terms of tariffs, announcements of possible tariffs incoming at a time when we desperately need strong leadership,” he says. “Trudeau has now plunged us into a time of chaos and uncertainty here on the Canadian side of the border.”
“Obviously this is not sustainable, it’s not something that will serve Canadians, it’s a self-serving move by a party and a prime minister that is in complete crisis and meltdown.”
The Federal Conservatives have continued to point at Liberal policies such as the carbon tax and rising costs of living as the main driver for a potential election, which Warkentin says could happen as soon as springtime.
“There will be some initial relief, the belief that Justin Trudeau’s time as Prime Minister is coming to an end, but it’s going to come with the realization very quickly that what Justin is leaving behind is a government that will take over, that has endorsed and supported every single thing that he has done over the last decade, leaving Canadians further and further behind,” he says. “The reassurance is that there will be an election that will come in due course.”
“We can’t be absolutely certain when that is, obviously, that will require all parties supporting a non-confidence vote in the Liberal government, [but] we expect that this spring.”
Warkentin points to Liberal ministers like Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney, saying the entire Liberal caucus should be held responsible come election time.
“Clearly the people that want to take over from Justin Trudeau would continue exactly the same disastrous policies that led to higher inflation, to higher food costs, housing costs, higher fuel costs all of these things are results of the actions that were taken, not just by Justin Trudeau, but by every single liberal MP who now are calling on Justin Trudeau to resign,” he says. “Canadians will render judgment on the whole batch of them in the next general election, I have great confidence in that.”
No matter what happens, Canadians are likely to hit the polls sometime this year, with the scheduled voting date set for October 20th, 2025.
