Sheehan rejects call for Trudeau leadership review

Sault MP Terry Sheehan says he is not in support of a review of Justin Trudeau’s leadership of the party after one of his Newfoundland counterparts brought up the subject in a recent Radio-Canada interview.

In that interview, published Wednesday, Avalon MP Ken McDonald told Radio-Canada he thinks it is time for the Liberal Party of Canada to have a conversation about direction the party is going heading into the next election.

"The government now of today is getting to be an old government,” MacDonald told reporter Laurence Martin. "People are thinking maybe it's time for a change. I tell everybody: every leader, every party has a best-before date. Our best-before date is here. So we either have to change things up in a way to make people think we're new again, or we're able to do better going forward. But that's not something I have control of."

Pressed by Martin whether he wants a leadership review, MacDonald said yes.

”Let's, you know, as a party let's clear the air, and if people are still intent on having the leader we have now, fine, but at least give people the opportunity to have their say in what they think of the direction the party is going,” MacDonald told Martin.

During a local funding announcement on Wednesday, Sheehan was asked if he supports a review of Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party.

“I can tell you I am very satisfied, not only with his leadership, but with the results that have been created with me working with the prime minister on behalf of the constituents of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma,” Sheehan told SooToday.

Sheehan confirmed he will be running again in the next election in the newly created riding of Sault Ste. Marie — Algoma. Northern Ontario recently lost a seat in Parliament when the Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing federal electoral riding was carved up and redistributed among neighbouring ridings. 

The Conservatives abandoned rural northern Ontario votes, said Sheehan, when the party wrote a dissenting report against the NDP and Liberal members of parliament who lobbied against the elimination of the riding.

“I am just very disappointed that we lost a seat, a voice," said Sheehan of the decision to eliminate the Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing riding and redistribute its borders to neighbouring electoral riding.

The Sault MP said he had not spoken to MacDonald about the idea of a leadership review.

“Those conversations are always continuing in every political party and everyone is entitled to their opinion,” said Sheehan.

On Thursday The Canadian Press reported that MacDonald has walked back his call for a review, saying in a statement he did not mean to call for a leadership review and continues to support Trudeau.

In November, a poll by Village Media revealed more than half of Sault Ste. Marie voters would vote Conservative in the next election.

A poll conducted by SooToday earlier this month — amid a visit to the Sault by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre — showed similar results.

If an election were held today, 50 per cent of respondents would vote Conservative, 36 per cent Liberal, seven per cent NDP and two per cent Green.