Freeland says ‘vast, vast majority’ of Liberal caucus supports Trudeau in wake of Toronto by-election loss

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Justin Trudeau has the full support of cabinet and a vast majority of the Liberal caucus, but the party needs to work harder to address affordability concerns after last week’s stunning by-election loss in what was once a safe Toronto riding.

Ms. Freeland said voters in Toronto-St. Paul’s, who elected a Conservative last Monday for the first time in three decades, sent the Liberals a clear message that life is hard and the government needs to do a better job of addressing it.

“The people of Toronto-St. Paul’s did send us a message, and it is absolutely incumbent on us to hear that message. That message was: things are hard. Life is really challenging right now. And you, our government, need to do a better job delivering for us on the things that matter in our lives. You need to do a better job making life easier for us,” Ms. Freeland told reporters in Milton, Ont., where she was making an announcement about funding for Canadian athletes.

“And I think we are collectively absolutely committed to doing that.”

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Ms. Freeland said the Prime Minister has her full support and that of cabinet, as well as the “vast, vast majority of Liberal MPs,” echoing verbatim recent remarks from Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, who represents a central Toronto riding, said some Toronto-area MPs met in her backyard on Wednesday at a meeting chaired by longtime Liberal MP John McKay. She said she offered up her place “because it’s in a central location,” and that Mr. McKay chaired the meeting of what’s known as the “416 caucus,” named for Toronto’s area code. Mr. McKay did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ms. Freeland called it a “valuable opportunity” to talk about the by-election results and what they mean, and about what MPs are hearing from constituents. She said members talked about “working really, really hard to do a better job of delivering for Canadians” on housing, affordability and economic growth “in a fiscally responsible way” so that interest rates can continue to come down.

Mr. Trudeau has faced calls from MPs and party members to either meet with all of his MPs together, make major changes in his government or resign entirely after the party’s surprise loss in Toronto-St. Paul’s. But while several former senior Liberal ministers have publicly called for his ouster, only one sitting MP made the same demand and many Liberals believe most of Mr. Trudeau’s caucus are resigned to him staying on.

The midtown Toronto riding was one of the safest seats for the Liberals, staying in their column since 1993 and the defeat marks the first time the Liberals have lost a race in Canada’s largest city since 2015.

Trudeau resists calls for an immediate meeting with all Liberal MPs

The Prime Minister is resisting calls for an immediate caucus meeting and instead he is doing one-on-one calls with his MPs as other ministers, including Ms. Freeland, also reach out to Liberals.

In the face of widespread calls for significant change from Liberals outside government, the Prime Minister has made the case for continuity, and delivering on the programs he has already announced, such as dental care, pharmacare, child care and more affordable housing.

The Liberals have been badly trailing the Conservatives in national public opinion polling since last summer. Even with a recent uptick in support reported in two different polls, the minority government still trails the opposition by double digits. And in the first quarter of the year the Conservatives raised more than three times what the Liberals did, $10.7-million compared to $3.1-million.

Adam van Koeverden, the Liberal MP for Milton who appeared alongside Ms. Freeland at the announcement, said Thursday that time spent in his community over the summer is important to hear from constituents and to remind them of what the government is doing on measures such as a national school food program and pharmacare. He expressed his full support for Mr. Trudeau.

“I think he’s one of the greatest leaders we’ve ever had in this country. He continues to be an extraordinary communicator,” Mr. van Koeverden said.

“He continues to be the most positive, the most productive, the most active listener, somebody that has his ears and his eyes wide open. And he’s not leading with his own opinions.”