MNI BRIEF: Trudeau Jokes About Family Spats Amid Calls to Quit
MNI (OTTAWA) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday joked about his finance minister's resignation a day earlier when Chrystia Freeland refused to introduce a fiscal plan she said contained gimmicks and failed to prepare for a potential U.S. trade war, signaling he's keen to fight the next election as other lawmakers say he must step aside.
“Like most families, sometimes we have fights around the holidays,” he noted during a televised speech at a holiday staff party. “Like most families, we find our way through it.” (See MNI INTERVIEW: Trudeau Cabinet Disarray Fuels Trump Trade Risk)
Large parts of the speech touched on sacrifices officials make to keep the party running and attacked opposition Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois for dividing Canadians. He said little about the NDP, the party Trudeau relies on to help the Liberals survive non-confidence votes until a regular election due next fall. Every opposition leader and some of Trudeau's own lawmakers have said this week he should quit.
“In politics, there’s always tough days and big challenges. But this team doesn’t hold the record for the longest minority in Canadian history because we shy away from these moments,” Trudeau said.