Former B.C. premier Christy Clark said she is considering running to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada should he resign ahead of the next election.
Trudeau is currently facing mounting pressure from within the Liberal caucus to step down after the party suffered two major byelection losses, dismal poll performance and several key cabinet ministers announcing that they won’t be seeking reelection.
As Trudeau faces a rebellion from his own Liberal MPs in caucus this week, former B.C. premier Christy Clark is suggesting she would be interested in replacing him, should Trudeau decide to step down.
Clark told Radio-Canada in French that she is considering a return to politics and that she “would like to be part of the discussion about the future direction of the Liberal party and the country.”
Clark said that “Canadians are tired of politicians who think that fear mongering and divisiveness will win an election and gain power,” adding that people “understand that polarized political views are standing in the way of the solutions we need.”
The 58-year-old former leader of the B.C. Liberals was premier of the province from 2011-17.
She said that voters are looking for the kind of leader “who will unite our country with practical solutions to the tough challenges we face,” such as “the cost of living, the housing crisis, the need to strengthen our health-care system and the importance of fighting climate change.”
“Because our country and its future are important to me, I have never closed the door to the possibility of one day returning to political life,” she continued.
Her comments come at a time when Trudeau is dealing with what appears to be somewhat of a mutiny within his party. Internal sources have said Liberal MPs are adding their names to an internal petition being passed around that calls for a leadership change.
There are also rumours that MPs have quietly organized plans to call for his resignation at the Liberals’ next caucus meeting on Wednesday.
While Liberal backbencher Sean Casey was the first MP to publicly call for Trudeau to resign, Clark did so even earlier.
“I think the leader needs to be replaced,” said Clark in June after the loss of long-time Liberal stronghold Toronto–St. Paul’s to the Conservatives.
“I think it’s time for him to move on to other, fairer pastures,” she told the Globe and Mail at the time.
However, that wasn’t the first time that she had spoken out against Trudeau.
In an interview in 2022 on the podcast Curse of Politics, Clark said that “Justin Trudeau is tired and complacent.”
“I don’t think Trudeau is an asset to the Liberals, I think he’s a gift to Poilievre,” she said, referring to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Clark went on to say that the prime minister has only added to tensions between Quebec and Western Canada “for political reasons,” while Canada “needs politicians who will bridge this gap.”