Sheehan sticking by Trudeau as some Liberal MPs call for new leader

Sault MP Terry Sheehan says he has not been asked to get behind fellow Liberal MPs who are asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign and is doubling down on his support of his party leader heading into the next election.

A federal election must occur by Oct. 25, 2025 and could take place anytime between now and then if the ruling Liberal government loses any confidence vote in the House of Commons before that date. Now that the NDP has withdrawn from a supply and confidence deal that was keeping the Liberals in power, a failed confidence vote could happen at any time.

On Friday, multiple media outlets reported efforts by some Liberal MPs banding together to ask Trudeau to resign amid a sustained slump in the polls.

Details about the strategy and breadth of the bid were unclear, though one MP not involved in the revolt told The Canadian Press on Friday that the number of MPs involved was not insignificant.

On Wednesday, SooToday asked Sheehan what his position is on the effort within his own party seeking a resignation from Trudeau.

"I've not spoken to any of my colleagues about any kind of review or anything like that," said Sheehan when asked during a funding announcement.

Sheehan confirmed he is seeking the candidacy for the Liberals in the next election under the newly-reconfigured Sault Ste. Marie — Algoma riding.

"There's some things that need to be done and then you're you're you're green lit, as they say," said Sheehan of filling out the paperwork to run again. "I'm just in the process of doing that."

Sheehan was first elected in 2015, at the same time Trudeau's Liberals seized a majority government from the Conservatives, led at the time by Stephen Harper. He noted the polling leading up to that election suggested incumbent candidate Bryan Hayes would win locally and the Conservatives would win and make government.

"Before I entered as the MP, we had a really terrible unemployment rate. Algoma Steel was in bankruptcy, Tenaris only had a handful of people there. It's totally turned around and we're growing again, but I'm not done," said Sheehan.

He noted polling also suggested he would lose the 2021 contest against two-time Conservative candidate Sonny Spina, but Sheehan pulled a win out of his hat by just 247 votes.

Sheehan served as a city councillor for Ward 2 from 2003 to 2015, and as a two-term school board trustee with the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board prior to that.

"I have won by a lot and I've won by a little — every vote matters," said Sheehan.

Sheehan said he is disappointed that last month NDP leader Jagmeet Singh ended the supply and confidence agreement signed with the Liberal government in 2022. He cited the dental care and pharma care bills that have passed with multi-party support.

"I think Jagmeet hopefully will see the light as we try and talk to him and any other party, but my goal is to go back to Ottawa and to continue to get big things done for Sault Ste Marie and for Canadians," said Sheehan.

He is also disappointed in the Conservative Party for not fighting harder to prevent some northern Ontario ridings from being eliminated. As a result, the new Sault Ste. Marie — Algoma riding includes the Sault, but also communities like Elliot Lake and a portion of Unorganized North Algoma District north to the Montreal River, among other parts of the former Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing that was chopped up

Sheehan was amonf the Liberals and NDP members who defended the former boundaries in front of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission in 2022.

"We don't need one less voice. This was my position all the time," said Sheehan of the redistribution. 

He said the Conservatives did not show support in keeping 10 ridings in northern Ontario.

"Not only did they didn't show up, they wrote a dissenting report supporting one less seat in northern Ontario," said Sheehan. "So Pierre Poilievre is going around northern Ontario speaking at different events, but quite frankly I'm very disappointed that he and the Conservatives got rid of one riding in northern Ontario."

— with files from The Canadian Press