Canada PM Trudeau reflecting on criticism amid leadership crisis, says ally

Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reflecting on complaints by legislators from the ruling Liberal Party who are unhappy that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland quit, a close ally said on Tuesday.

Separately, one Liberal parliamentarian said Trudeau was "delusional" if he thought he could fight the next election, which is due by October 20 next year. Polls show the Liberals would be crushed by the official opposition Conservatives.

Freeland resigned on Monday amid a policy clash and released a letter savaging Trudeau's leadership, prompting one of the worst crises since he became prime minister in 2015.

Hours later, Trudeau held a special meeting with his parliamentary caucus, which already is unhappy over the party's poor performance in the polls.

"He did say to caucus that he had heard very clearly, and listened carefully, to their concerns and he would reflect on it," new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp in his home province of New Brunswick.

LeBlanc, one of Trudeau's closest friends, was named finance minister later on Monday.

The only public event on Trudeau's calendar for Tuesday is a Liberal Christmas party in the evening. When addressing a party fundraiser on Monday, he made no mention of whether he might step down.

Liberals lose special election

To underline the party's woes, it badly lost a special election in the western province of British Columbia, provisional results showed.

The Conservatives took 66 per cent of Monday's vote in the constituency of Cloverdale-Langley City with the Liberals placing second with 16 per cent. The election was held to fill a vacant seat.

While Trudeau cannot be forced out by his caucus, he may find it harder to stay in office if enough parliamentarians openly call on him to go. Only a handful have done so publicly but that number is slowly growing.

Trudeau is safe for now, since the only way he can be forced out is if all opposition parties unite against him on a vote of non-confidence. Such a vote could not happen until after the House of Commons elected chamber returns on January 27.

But Liberal legislator Wayne Long, who had previously called on Trudeau to quit, told reporters on Tuesday the prime minister was living in a false reality.

"He is delusional if he thinks we can continue like this ... We're not just taking on water, we're underwater," he said.

The opposition Bloc Quebecois called for an immediate election, saying Canada needed a properly functioning government to deal with the incoming US administration and its threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports.

A Nanos Research poll released on Tuesday showed the Conservatives have 43 per cent public support, the Liberals have 23 per cent and the smaller left-leaning New Democrats are attracting 20 per cent support. Such a result on Election Day would produce a massive Conservative majority.

In another blow, the traditionally pro-Liberal Toronto Star - the largest circulation newspaper in Canada - ran an editorial on Tuesday saying it was time for Trudeau to leave.