Local members of Parliament are unwilling to speculate about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s future.
Polling numbers from Ipsos published in late November indicated 72 per cent of Canadians think that Trudeau should step down, while 38 per cent of those within his own Liberal party want him to step aside.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski doesn’t feel like the party is hitting the panic button over that dissatisfaction, and adds a lot can change before the next scheduled federal election.
“Trudeau [has] indicated that he intends to stay on, and I think that's absolutely his decision to make,” Powlowski told Dougall Media on Wednesday. “He’s been the Prime Minister for eight years [and] I think for the most part he's done a good job. He certainly [has] worked exceptionally hard and the amount of work that the guy does is incredible. [Becoming] the Prime Minister is a day and night job, seven days a week. I think [he’s] genuinely acting in the best interests of Canadians.”
Some polling suggests that Canadians are just tired of Trudeau, who became prime minister in 2015.
Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu stressed that she does her best to not focus on the “gossipy” side of politics.
"My focus is on the work that I'm doing for Canadians across the country as the Minister of FedNor and Indigenous Services,” Hajdu said. “The Prime Minister has set this country on a direction that has, I think, positioned us well to take advantage of things like the green transition that's happening right now.
"I will continue to work as a member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Superior North on the things that matter to my community, Northern Ontario and as a Minister."
Powlowski weighed in on voter dissatisfaction, saying “I think people at the moment do want to [see a] change. [That said] I think most people, if they really look at how parties line up on various positions, I think there isn't a better leader than Trudeau at the moment. I'm certainly not going to say that Trudeau is perfect, and I've certainly had disagreements with him and our party. I [believe that Trudeau] has taken the right approach.”
