Newmarket and Aurora’s political communities are grappling with uncertainty at the federal level as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation this morning.
Trudeau announced Jan. 6 that he would be stepping down as federal Liberal leader and resigning as prime minister after a Liberal leadership race. This comes after several MPs, including Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen, asked that he resign after a falling out among cabinet members.
Van Bynen said the news comes with mixed emotions and that he had made the call for Trudeau's resignation with some reluctance. But he said Trudeau made the right decision.
“I also believe he will go down in history as a very transformative leader who improved the lives of Canadians, particularly families and seniors. He led our nation through the pandemic, and I have always felt he provided great leadership at the time,” Van Bynen said. “We owe a great deal to his leadership, but it was time for a change and a renewal of our party.”
Trudeau has served as prime minister since 2015, and the Newmarket-Aurora riding has chosen him, his party and the local candidate in the last three elections (2015, 2019, 2021). Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill voted Conservative in 2019 and Liberal in 2015 and 2021.
Parliament will be prorogued until March 24 and an election could be called thereafter.
Newmarket-Aurora Liberal candidate Jennifer McLachlan thanked Trudeau for his service but said, “I do believe his decision will allow for rejuvenation of the party, and I’m ready to get to work.”
She said it adds some complexity to the campaign with the leadership race to come, but it does not change any part of her campaign itself.
“I’m focused on Newmarket-Aurora and the needs of the community,” she said.
Speaking on Tuesday, Jan. 7, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill Leah Taylor Roy said she thought the prime minister made the “right decision” in announcing his resignation. Taylor Roy had previously backed Trudeau to lead the Liberal Party into the next election.
“I've been a great supporter of our Prime Minister, but I do feel that he made the right decision to leave,” said Taylor Roy, adding the Conservative Party had sought to “vilify” Trudeau.
“I think the Prime Minister realized we needed to remove that lightning rod to give our party a chance to actually be listened to by people.”
Taylor Roy said she thought Trudeau led the country well through the pandemic, adding she thought a Conservative government would not have handled the situation as well.
Taylor Roy said she is not backing anyone to replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader, as a contest is still to be launched. While numerous Liberal MPs have announced they would not seek re-election in recent weeks, including Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen, who is retiring, Taylor Roy said she plans to run in the upcoming election.
“I've always said it's democracy, we run because people need to have a choice, and I think I have done a good job and I'm planning to continue to work hard,” said Taylor Roy. “My focus has always been on being the best representative for our community that I could be, and I'm going to continue to do that.”
Conservative Party candidate for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill Costas Menegakis said he was “not surprised” at the news of Trudeau’s resignation but said “nothing has really changed.”
“Canadians have been wanting to turn the page on this dark chapter in our history for quite some time now,” he said in an interview with AuroraToday. “He's finally leaving, but nothing has really changed. Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last nine years.
“Canadians are ready for change, and it's coming soon,” he added.
Menegakis pointed to housing, immigration, the deficit, imminent U.S. tariffs and the carbon tax as being key issues ahead of the upcoming election, which he said could happen in May.
“I think Canadians are fed up, changing the head of a failed government and keeping everybody else there doesn't mean that there's anything new,” he said. “I think Canadians are very astute and smart people and will see this for what it is.”
Newmarket-Aurora Conservative candidate Sandra Cobena also said that every Liberal MP has supported Trudeau's policies.
"Now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another four years," she said. "The only way to fix what Liberals broke is a carbon tax election to elect common sense Conservatives who will bring home Canada's promise.”
Reacting to the news, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said clarity is important with the world in turmoil and significant challenges like housing and homelessness to address.
“I hope that the Liberal Party can move swiftly to provide clarity of leadership to the country,” Taylor said. “We’ll be almost certainly seeing a federal election … That, of course, would lead to even greater clarity. That will hopefully provide clarity (and) stability for us to make significant advancements on some of the challenges that concern me the most.”
Editor's Note, Jan. 7: This article has been updated to include comments from MP Leah Taylor Roy.
