Liberal Party announces new national campaign directors

As questions swirl over how soon Canadians could be going to the polls, the Liberal Party announced on Sunday the two people who will oversee its campaign for the next federal election.

In a news release, the Liberals said that Andrew Bevan will serve as campaign director and Marjorie Michel will serve as deputy campaign director.

Bevan previously worked as chief of staff for former federal Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, the release said. He also served as chief of staff to former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne.

Last October, Bevan joined the current Liberal government as chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and senior adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the release said. 

He'll be replacing Jeremy Broadhurst, who stepped down in September and cited the pressures imposed by the job on himself and his family as the reason for his decision. 

According to the release, Michel is "an experienced Liberal political organizer with deep roots in Quebec." She is currently Trudeau's deputy chief of staff and previously worked as the party's director of campaign operations in Quebec during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

The party's announcement comes days after dissatisfaction with Trudeau's leadership flared up at the Liberal national caucus meeting on Wednesday.

CBC News reported on Friday that some MPs were upset that Trudeau travelled to Laos for an international summit while some important questions remained unanswered, including Broadhurst's replacement.

While Canada's fixed-date election law dictates a vote must happen by October 2025, ever since the NDP pulled out of its supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals, there has been more uncertainty about the timing of the next election. 

Some parties have been musing about pushing for an earlier trip to the polls.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet has been pressuring the Liberal government to pass legislation that would boost some pensions and shield supply management from concessions in trade talks.

On Wednesday, Blanchet said the Liberals have only days to back his party's proposals, or else the Bloc would start negotiating with the Conservatives and the NDP to topple Trudeau's government.

The Conservatives have tried twice to bring down the government through non-confidence votes, but both of their attempts failed when the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois voted against the motions.

Trudeau has previously said an election will come in the coming year, but "hopefully not until next fall."