A number of Liberal MPs in Canada are working to get PM Trudeau to step down as party leader

There is a movement underway in Canada to force Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, to step down as the leader of the Liberal Party, according to CBC News. 

A growing number of Liberal MPs have been meeting and coordinating to find a way forward for their party following a couple of surprising losses in the byelection in June, in which they lost seats that they had previously comfortably held. The two were in Toronto-St. Paul and Montreal.

The talks, which the members are trying to keep below the radar to improve their chance for success, accelerated with Prime Minister Trudeau and his chief of staff in Asia this week for a summit. 

Members are seeking signatures amounting to a pledge to stand united in calling for Trudeau’s resignation as party leader. They are calling the document to sign a vehicle, not a letter. That vehicle is said to be a single document with no copies or photos of it that could be circulated. 

The Toronto Star was first to report this week on meetings to discuss how they will exert pressure on Trudeau to step down. The fear apparently is that moving too early would allow Trudeau’s office time to peel off some of those calling for him to step down. 

With the CBC’s poll tracker showing that the Liberals are trailing the Conservatives by about 20 percentage points, Trudeau has repeatedly said that he has no plans to step down and will lead his party into the next election.