Poll: Clark for P.M.?

Former B.C. premier Christy Clark would consider stepping up to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should he step down as leader of the federal Liberals.

In a statement to social media Monday, Clark said she is a “proud Liberal voter, registered Liberal, and former Liberal Premier.”

She noted that the position of leader of the federal Liberal Party is not open, despite internal calls for Trudeau to go before the next election.

Clark, however, has said she would “like to be part of the discussion about the future direction of the Liberal Party and the country,” reports Radio-Canada.

“Right now, we all need to be focused on uniting Canadians and working together as Liberals to defeat the divisive Poilievre Conservatives in the next election,” Clark said in a statement on X.

“Canadians are deeply concerned about the cost of living, the housing crisis, the need to shore up our health care system and the urgent need to fight climate change.”

Clark said federal Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre “thinks simplistic slogans and bombastic rhetoric can solve Canada’s problems.”

“He doesn’t have any solutions.”

“No one in our country benefits from, or wants, the polarization he is peddling,” Clark’s statement concluded.

The announcement comes amid what could be Trudeau's most serious challenge to his leadership to date.

Several media reports have detailed the plans of a group of Liberal MPs to confront Trudeau at the party's Wednesday caucus meeting over sagging poll numbers and gloomy electoral prospects.

The precise strategy and breadth of the attempt to push Trudeau to resign remain unclear, though some MPs who spoke to The Canadian Press on background said the number of members involved is significant.

Trudeau could sidestep both problems by taking the controversial step of proroguing Parliament, which would end the session and set the stage for a fresh throne speech.

Some political watchers have mused the move would allow time for a Liberal leadership race if Trudeau were to step down.

A Clark leadership of the federal Liberals would likely steer the party towards the right. Earlier this year, she was a prominent voice calling for the unification of the BC United Party and BC Conservatives to oppose the NDP in the run up to the provincial election.

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