OTTAWA — Mark Carney has been prime minister of Canada for less than a month, but some Liberal members of parliament are already talking about how to fire him.
It's not personal, they insist.
When Liberal lawmakers gather Sunday — a day before Canada’s new Parliament opens — their first order of business will be to vote on whether to give themselves the power to remove Carney as leader at any time, if they choose.
It's not as cutthroat as it sounds.
Liberal MPs fully back Carney, for now — after all, they’re still in power because he managed to convince Canadians that he has the chops to transform the economy.
“But the future is to be determined,” said one MP, granted anonymity to speak frankly. “We don’t know what it will be like in a year, or two years, from now.”
Liberals had no way to dislodge former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he overstayed his welcome. Now, as the House reboots, many in the party are determined that history will not repeat itself. Trudeau’s reluctance to resign left scars on reelected lawmakers, many of whom want to rebalance power between caucus and the Prime Minister’s Office — long seen as controlling and insular during nine-plus years in office.
During their first caucus meeting since last month's election, the lawmakers will vote on whether to adopt measures in Canada’s Reform Act, including the ability to remove their leader.
Quebec Liberal MP Sophie Chatel told POLITICO that making Carney subject to the new rules would be "a powerful symbolic gesture" — one that shows "confidence in his ability" to keep caucus on side.
“It would also signal a departure from the previous leadership,” she added, “and a renewed commitment to strengthening the relationship with caucus.”
After every federal election, and before Parliament opens, each party caucus must vote on whether to adopt certain rules under the act. By law, it’s the first order of business at the first caucus meeting. Lawmakers can vote to give themselves the power to remove the party leader, eject a caucus chair or turf an MP from caucus.
Carney has acknowledged the upcoming vote but declined to comment on the substance.
“I observed that this will happen,” Carney said last week. “There'll be these votes."
POLITICO spoke to several MPs who have been debating the vote, all of whom were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss internal caucus matters.
Some want a secret ballot out of concerns that the Prime Minister’s Office and his Cabinet could attempt to influence votes, especially by pressuring rookie MPs, which was not uncommon under Trudeau.
The Reform Act was the brainchild of Conservative MP Michael Chong, designed to empower MPs and reduce the power of party leaders. But the rules only apply if a caucus votes to adopt them.
The Conservative Party used the act in 2022 to oust then-Leader Erin O’Toole, who was eventually succeeded by current Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Although the law came into effect in 2015, it has never been adopted by the Liberals, partly because it was a Conservative initiative. And Trudeau’s office ensured there was never lively discussion around the vote, even deploying senior Cabinet ministers to distract MPs from debating it, one Liberal MP told POLITICO.
Liberal MPs had to wait for Trudeau to resign on his own. Following the party’s comeback win, they are seeking future sureties.
One MP called the Reform Act “a mechanism that reminds the leader that they’re there because of caucus.”
Another described it as a safeguard. A third said it was generally a good idea, given caucus’ experience of being under the thumb of Trudeau and his inner circle.
The vote may come down to whether there's a secret ballot. As one MP explained, no one wants to be seen “holding a knife behind the back of the prime minister.”
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