Christy Clark open to return if Liberal leader position opens up

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces growing pressure to step aside, former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she is open to “returning to politics” should the position of Liberal leader become available.

But in a statement to CTV News on Monday, Clark acknowledges “the position of Liberal leader is not going to be available any time soon.”

“If that were to change, I would want to be part of the conversation on the future direction of the Liberal Party and of the country,” Clark goes on to say.

In her statement, Clark also said she is “listening to Canadians and Liberals across the country.”

“What I am hearing is that Canadians are fed up with politicians who think sowing division is an acceptable path to victory,” Clark said. “They want leaders who will unite our country behind practical solutions to the difficult problems we face.”

Clark served as B.C. premier between 2011 and 2017 and has been outspoken about Trudeau’s leadership in recent years, including after this year’s Liberal byelection losses in Toronto-St. Paul’s and LaSalle-Émard-Verdun.

Clark – who also appears as a weekly panelist on CTV’s Power Play – also released a separate statement on X and called for unity within the Liberal party to fight Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

Her comments come ahead of a highly anticipated Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday, in which a group of Liberal MPs are expected to formally ask Trudeau to step aside as party leader.

Reports about a renewed push to oust Trudeau emerged earlier this month when the prime minister was on his way home from the ASEAN summit, and questions about how many MPs are involved and who they are have dominated Parliament Hill since.

On Monday, Liberal MP Sean Casey, who represents Charlottetown, became the first to publicly confirm he has signed a letter asking for Trudeau to resign, but he would not say how many of his colleagues have done the same.

Casey told reporters Canadians are no longer listening to Trudeau, saying, “People have tuned him out.”

Other Liberal MPs who were asked either expressed support for Trudeau or said they had not yet seen a formal letter asking the prime minister to go.

“The easy thing for him to do would be to walk away,” Health Minister Mark Holland told reporters. “But the challenges are too big, and I think the reason he stays is because he believes he’s the right person for these times and I believe that too.”

Asked if he had been approached to sign a letter, Liberal British Columbia MP Ken Hardie said, “I can’t say, to be honest with you.”

“There’s been a lot of chatter amongst the group, a lot of indirect stuff. It’s dynamic and it’s very nuanced,” Hardie said.

Others, meanwhile, made light about all the political chatter leading up to Wednesday’s caucus meeting.

“I’m going to buy a big bag of popcorn and pop and watch the show, just like you,” Liberal Ontario MP Marcus Powlowski joked to reporters.

With files from The Canadian Press