THUNDER BAY — The Liberal member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Rainy River says whether Prime Minister Trudeau continues as party leader into the next election is "his decision to make."
In an interview Wednesday, Marcus Powlowski said "a lot of people have made up their minds against Trudeau," but that he doesn't want "to be the one shoving him over the cliff."
Powlowski's comments came in the wake of Monday's stunning byelection victory by the Conservative party candidate in the long-time Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul's.
He said he recognizes the noteworthiness of the outcome, given that the party had dominated in the riding for over three decades.
"It was, I think, highly significant in that a lot of Liberal voters either didn't come out to vote, or they voted the other way," Powlowski speculated, but added: "Whether that would happen in an actual election – determining the Prime Minister – I'm not sure."
He also suggested members of the large Jewish population in Toronto-St. Paul's support the Conservative party's stance on the war in Gaza instead of the governing Liberals' position.
The next federal election is scheduled for October 2025.
"Nobody has a crystal ball, and in a year's time a lot of things are going to have changed or not changed," Powlowski said. "Is it possible to turn [voters] back around to vote for Liberals? I'm not sure."
He compared the situation to a marriage, where "in the beginning of a relationship you can do no wrong, and at the end you can do no right. It doesn't matter how many candlelight dinners and roses you bring out, once the decision is made, someone doesn't want you, they're not going back."
But Powlowski said he believes once people get to know Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre better, they will reconsider "and perhaps decide, OK, I don't really like Trudeau but he is the better candidate. So that's what I'm hoping."
He said he intends to seek a third term in the coming election.
In the 2021 election, Powlowski won Thunder Bay-Rainy River with 34 per cent of the vote, compared with 29 per cent for the Conservatives and 28 per cent for the NDP.
A national opinion poll aggregator, 338 Canada, currently projects that the riding would most likely be won by the Conservative party if an election were held today.
It also projects Thunder Bay-Superior North, the riding currently held by Liberal Patty Hajdu, would be a toss-up among the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP.
In the last election, Hajdu captured 41 per cent of the vote compared with 27 per cent for the NDP and 24 per cent for the Conservative candidate.
She responded to a request for reaction to the outcome of the Toronto-St. Paul's byelection with a brief statement:
"I couldn't be prouder to represent the people of Thunder Bay-Superior North. And I'm really staying focused on my riding. You know, that's what really matters to me, what's happening in Northern Ontario as the Minister of FedNor, what's happening with Indigenous reconciliation all across the country, and certainly what's happening in all the communities that I have the pleasure to represent."
