Political staffers at the New Democratic Party (NDP) are telling Toronto-area political operatives that the opposition party is willing to install Jody Wilson-Raybould as its Leader. Toronto area politicians have been engaging in private discussions with Jagmeet Singh, the current NDP Leader, to secure his endorsement.
Wilson-Raybould has not been formally asked to join the party, but senior party figures are eagerly lobbying for the arrangement behind the scenes.
The Liberal Party was in crisis mode before the explosive allegations that Justin Trudeau removed the former Attorney General shortly after she refused to intervene in the prosecution of one of the party’s largest contributors. The scandal has engulfed his government, prompting an ethics inquiry and a Justice Committee investigation that threaten Trudeau’s ability to retain control of the Liberal Party.
The Liberal Party brand has been badly damaged under Trudeau, largely stemming from federal policies that are perceived to be hostile to middle-class Canadians. Many activists and partisans, already spooked by last year’s Provincial losses in Ontario, have begun calling for his resignation. Elections are scheduled for October 21st of this year, and diming electoral prospects are likely to intensify those calls.
Cabinet ministers have been privately discussing the possibility of holding a confidence vote that would be likely to affirm Trudeau’s leadership of the party. Finance Minister Bill Morneau supports the idea and believes that affirmation is needed to stabilize the party. Others, like Chrystia Freeland and Jane Philpott, fear that a no-confidence motion would make for a humiliating blow to the Trudeau government, even if he wins it narrowly.
