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| Trudeau plans to stay on as Liberal leader despite unpopularity |
Trudeau plans to stay
on as Liberal leader
despite unpopularity
Despite his massive unpopularity, Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau plans to stay on as
leader of the Liberal Party for the next federal
election.
By RACHEL EMMANUEL
September 8, 2022
According to the Toronto Star, Trudeau told his cabinet ministers at their Vancouver retreat that he looks forward to winning a fourth term as prime minister. Trudeau reportedly said he’s energized to face the challenges in Canada — which include a massive cost of living crisis spurred partly by his reckless use of the government coffers.
Trudeau is currently wildly unpopular among Canadians who are struggling to pay for gas, groceries, rent and other basic necessities.
In August, Abacus data found that approval for the Trudeau government dropped to its lowest point since he became prime minister in 2015. Most Canadians polled by the left-leaning company also reported to hold a negative view of Trudeau.
The poll found that 51% of Canadians disapprove of the Trudeau government’s performance. Another 51% also have a negative view of Trudeau — the highest number the pollster has ever recorded.
Canadian prime ministers rarely last for more than three terms.
Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper won three elections before the Trudeau Liberals defeated him. Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien was awarded three majority governments before his party replaced him with Paul Martin.
The month-old Abacus survey predicted that Conservatives would form government if an election were held today, winning with 35% of the vote.
The federal Conservatives have shattered the record for total party members in its ongoing leadership race. It attracted 678,708 people as of July 29, nearly three times the amount of members the party had during its 2020 leadership race.
It’s also more than twice as many members the Liberal Party had during its last leadership election in 2013 (nearly 300,000).
The Conservatives will elect their new leader on Saturday.
