Why some Liberal MPs want to reserve the right to oust Mark Carney

Some Liberal MPs say they plan on voting to adopt the Reform Act on Sunday so caucus has more power and can reserve the right to trigger a vote to topple Prime Minister Mark Carney as party leader. 

CBC News spoke to half a dozen MPs who say they’re pleased with Carney’s performance so far, which has seen the party dramatically turn around its political fortunes and win a fourth term in government.

But the MPs said they don’t want to relive what happened under Justin Trudeau’s government, when the prime minister defied calls for him to resign for months before finally stepping down in January.

The Reform Act, which took effect in 2015, gives all political parties the ability to trigger a leadership review. It was championed by Conservative MP Michael Chong as a way to shift some power away from party leaders and toward backbench MPs. Conservative MPs used the act to oust former leader Erin O’Toole in 2022.

The Liberals haven’t adopted the Reform Act before, but some MPs are considering it for the first time.

If the majority of caucus votes to adopt the act, it would send a signal to Carney that although caucus has confidence in him, they want checks and balances in place that they didn’t have under his predecessor.

Some MPs said this mechanism could have prevented problems during Trudeau’s decade in power and that’s what’s driving their vote.

Trudeau stayed on longer than he should have, they said, despite caucus members last year urging him to step down because he had become so unpopular. After Trudeau’s deputy prime minister Chystia Freeland resigned as finance minister in December, he announced his resignation a few weeks later.

Staff in Trudeau’s office, MPs said, also had disproportionate power compared to elected MPs. By the end, one MP said they felt caucus was considered irrelevant.

MPs spoke to CBC News on the condition they not be named in order to speak freely about internal party matters. 

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Some members of caucus also said they want to adopt the Reform Act because they have concerns the prime minister elevated several people to cabinet who they view as weak performers.

They are also dismayed Carney is retaining Marco Mendicino as his chief of staff, citing major gaffes he made as a minister.

Carney announced Thursday that Mendicino would be staying into the summer, saying his support has been “vital” during the period following the Liberal leadership race, the federal election and transition to government.

“I wish to thank Mr. Mendicino for his tireless work, commitment and dedicated service to all Canadians,” he said in a post on social media.

Some MPs are against the Reform Act because the Conservatives have adopted its provisions after every election since it became law. Others say they want to hear what caucus says first before making up their mind.

There will be a discussion on Sunday about if the vote is held openly or by secret ballot.

In the past, it has been an open vote, which one MP said has hurt the process. It puts people in an uncomfortable position because they don’t want to appear like they’re not completely supportive of the leader, they said.

Another member of caucus said they have no issues with an open vote. 

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith said he has “always supported the adoption of the Reform Act and will continue to do so.”

He published a blog post saying the measures are not controversial and have “nothing to do with any individual leader.” The Act gives caucus the power to call a leadership review which is a process to endorse or replace the leader, he said. 

“The leader — whoever that is — should be accountable to caucus,” he wrote. “It’s as simple as that. And if a leader can’t command support from the majority of caucus, the writing is on the wall already.”

Erskine-Smith was the housing minister in Carney’s first cabinet, but was left out of the prime minister’s new cabinet earlier this month.

Carney said there will be four votes related to the Act when caucus meets this Sunday, as is required by law.

Caucus will also vote on a new chair and the prime minister is expected to speak, MPs were told.