Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are testing Pierre Poilievre attack ads, as prime minister insists he’s not stepping down

OTTAWA—Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party is testing a group of digital ads and is producing a series of broadcast advertising, including negative ads targeting his Conservative rival, as the Liberal leader insists he is staying on to lead the party into the next election.
The digital ads, in English and French, were produced over the past two weeks, while the broadcast ads are in production, with the aim being not just to highlight the government’s work and themes, but to paint the contrast with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, said a party source with knowledge of the campaign in the works, who spoke on a background-only basis.
On Friday, at a dinner reception and then again Saturday, Trudeau met with the federal party’s board of directors and reinforced a message he delivered to Liberal caucus dissenters last week: that he will lead the party into the next election. According to the party insider, Trudeau got a standing ovation from all in the room.
However, some Liberal MPs insist a secret caucus vote is the only way to resolve the question of Trudeau’s leadership once and for all — as a deadline Monday came and went for the group of 24 dissenting MPs behind a letter calling for the prime minister to quit.
There was no sign from Trudeau — who rejected their demands to step aside last week — that he would be willing to test his broader caucus support in a secret ballot, and the prime minister made no public appearances Monday.
As the deadline passed, there was no dramatic walkout or other statement issued by those who signed the protest letter.
Most of the 24 signatories have not revealed themselves publicly, save for New Brunswick MP Wayne Long and PEI MP Sean Casey. Casey told cameras outside the Commons Monday that the prime minister is “convinced” he can win, but Casey said he believes Trudeau is getting bad advice.
Liberal MPs have been clamouring for more than a year for the party to push back with ads against Poilievre, as the Conservative party, flush with money, has been far outspending the Liberals on ads in traditional and social media.
At last week’s caucus confrontation, at least 20 MPs, according to several accounts, addressed Trudeau face-to-face and said it was time for him to step down. But no caucus vote — either secret or an open show-of-hands — was taken.
That’s because the Liberals did not adopt rules after the last election, that are set out in a law called the Reform Act, to empower a caucus to cast a secret ballot to oust its leader based on a certain threshold of opposition.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser told the Star Monday, “That’s the way we’ve chosen to govern ourselves — that the leader of the party decides when they want to remain in the job or to leave the job, and that’s the way that it is now. And I’m comfortable with that.”
“I don’t see why it should be a closed question,” said Etobicoke MP Yvan Baker. “In fact, to me, we need to find a way to move forward, to be unified as a caucus and as a party and to put this discussion behind us, and to me, a secret ballot within caucus where people can decide whether or not Mr. Trudeau will lead us into the next election is the best way to do that, and the quickest way to do that.”
Baker said the prime minister and his team have signalled they believe he has the support of a majority within caucus, and he suggested if that is the case, there’s no reason not to allow a secret ballot.
A handful of MPs, who have spoken to the Star on condition they not be identified, have said that although they did not sign the protest letter, they agree with its thrust: that it’s time for Trudeau to trigger a leadership race to replace him.
Thunder Bay MP Marcus Powlowski, who was careful not to declare his view, said in an interview that “in any group, there’s differences of opinion. I think it’s not clear at the moment where things are going, but I think it’ll, with time, clarify itself.”
Powlowski added it’s not surprising that Trudeau has indicated he is sticking around. “I think any leader who telegraphs that they’re going to step down becomes a lame duck leader. So I wouldn’t have expected that at any time.”
In addition to caucus dissent, Trudeau faces a different deadline Tuesday, issued by the Bloc Québécois which is vowing to vote non-confidence in the government if Trudeau doesn’t concede to Bloc demands to pour billions more into pensioners’ benefits and protect dairy farmers from concessions in future international trade deals.
His government could still survive, because the NDP does not appear set to join Opposition forces to topple the government, and it would take all three main opposition parties to band together to win a majority in any non-confidence vote that would trigger an election.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters Monday in Toronto, “We’re not looking for an election, (but) we’re not afraid of an election.”
Singh, who last month withdrew from a parliamentary co-operation deal with the Liberals, said if the Bloc “wants to present something, we’ll look at it, but our priorities are very clear,” listing off actions the party wants to see on abortion access, health care, grocery costs and affordable housing.
— With a file from Mark Ramzy