Jen Gerson: Trudeau is right to show utter contempt for his weak caucus

Why would he quit? We all get the leadership we deserve, and as far as I'm concerned, the Liberals have exactly the right man for them.

By: Jen Gerson

Since the very moment Justin Trudeau's most-trusted deputy Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation in a scathing letter earlier this week, the calls have resounded from across the land: "Trudeau must go!"

As I am wont to do, I'd like to offer my own sad little counterpoint: No, he mustn't.

And I'm not offering this merely to be provocative, nor because I think the chance he will resign after the winter holiday is vanishingly narrow. Though I am, and I do. Nor is it simply because there is no mechanism within the caucus to cast Trudeau out of his position. The Liberal party constitution has been effectively neutered. The only way to push the prime minister out of his chair is for a significant chunk of the Liberal caucus to threaten to vote against the government in a confidence motion — and then to actually follow through with it. Gulp.