As Trudeau cabinet meets, Liberal MPs look for signs of change following byelection loss

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with his ministers in Halifax on Sunday for the annual cabinet retreat, a gathering that comes after a year of dire polling for the government and disquiet among some Liberal MPs.

Some of those MPs are now calling for big changes — and for the prime minister to publicly show signs of contrition.

Cabinet is meeting for three days and is expected to tackle pocketbook issues and seek to strengthen Canada's relationship with the United States ahead of the House of Commons' return in September.

"The number one thing I think we need to do is to remain grounded in the experience of people who live in our communities," Housing Minister Sean Fraser said Monday.

But members of the Liberal caucus are watching closely to see whether the prime minister has listened to them and will act on any of their ideas following the party's surprise byelection loss in June.

CBC News spoke to six MPs who say they want to see cabinet agree on several measures: a major cabinet shuffle, simplified public messaging, an effort to market the Liberals as a team and a more aggressive communications campaign contrasting the party with the Conservatives.

"I think he just needs to shake things up a bit and be fresh again, because right now we're looking like an old and tired government," said one Liberal MP.

Some of those MPs said they also want to see Trudeau publicly address what hasn't worked in the past, and present a new path forward to turn the Liberals' political fortunes around.

David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, said other politicians — including Ontario Premier Doug Ford — have enjoyed a bump in popularity after apologizing or showing signs of "contrition and deep empathy for the state of how people are feeling." Trudeau has yet to do that, he said.

"I don't think we've seen that yet from him in any clear way, and I think that's a path forward for him if he intends to run again and wants to lead the country into the years ahead," Coletto said.

The sources — who spoke to CBC News on the condition they not be named so they could speak freely — said that Trudeau has acknowledged privately what hasn't worked for his government over the past year, but hasn't done so publicly.

One MP said the high number of temporary foreign workers and international students being welcomed to Canada is one example of a policy decision the prime minister needs to explain to Canadians personally.

Coletto said the current political environment is the most challenging one Trudeau has ever faced. The Liberals have consistently polled about 15 points behind Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives over the past year.

"If there was an election today, it's highly likely that the Conservatives would not only win the most seats, but would likely form a majority government," said Coletto. "They're leading in almost every part of the country."