Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland acknowledged Thursday that some Liberal MPs are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership. Blacklock's Reporter says while Freeland emphasized that the "vast majority" of Liberal caucus members support Trudeau, she admitted that this support is not unanimous."The Prime Minister has my full support," said Freeland. "I know he has the full support of cabinet and I know he has the support of the vast, vast majority of Liberal MPs. The people of Toronto-St. Paul’s did send us a message."Despite internal rumblings, no Liberal MP has publicly called for Trudeau’s resignation. Trudeau has confirmed his intention to seek a fourth term.The recent Conservative victory in a June 24 by-election in Toronto-St. Paul’s, a historically Liberal stronghold, has intensified the scrutiny. Conservative candidate Don Stewart, a Bay Street executive, won the riding, which last voted Conservative in 1988. “It is absolutely incumbent on us to hear that message,” said Freeland.Freeland revealed that she met privately with Toronto area MPs on Tuesday evening to discuss the by-election. The meeting was organized by MP John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood, Ont.), the longest-serving Toronto MP.“John McKay is chair of the 416 caucus and he chairs an in-person meeting of some 416 caucus members,” Freeland explained. “I offered my backyard because it is in a central location. We did have a meeting. John chaired it.”Freeland described the meeting as a valuable opportunity to discuss the by-election results and their implications. However, she did not provide further details.When asked by a reporter why she should remain as finance minister, Freeland responded, “That’s a choice for the Prime Minister.”MP McKay, 76, is not seeking re-election after nine terms. He has been a vocal critic of the cabinet’s "unsustainable spending."“There is going to be a day of reckoning,” McKay warned the Commons in 2020. The federal debt ceiling under the Borrowing Authority Act has since doubled to $2.13 trillion.“Without these fiscal anchors we will simply pile up debt,” McKay said. “And we’ve seen this movie before.”McKay cautioned that Canada’s fiscal policies need to be prudent, as the Canadian dollar does not have the same global influence as the U.S. dollar. “Canada is not like the U.S. where you can do wild and crazy fiscal things and get away with it because you are the world’s currency,” he said. “The Canadian dollar is a small currency in a very large pool. If either inflation or a run on the dollar occur, all the presumptions of cheap money are out the window.”
