Legitimacy in wielding a non-existing sword

A review of the rules on how to oust a party leader, the history that influenced its evolution, why caucus ousting its leader is illegitimate and pointless, with some extreme examples from other countries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves a meeting with other party leaders in his office in West Block on Dec. 3, 2024. The prime minister is under enormous pressure to resign as party leader because his party has been polling poorly for more than a year. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY MILTON CHAN

January 6, 2025

Given the public calls by MPs for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation, it might be helpful to address some of the misconceptions and underlying assumptions around the rules of the election and removal of the party leaders.

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