Here’s what Michael McLeod wants the Prime Minister to do

The NWT’s Liberal MP, Michael McLeod, says the North and northern Indigenous governments need Justin Trudeau to hang on and pass one more budget.

Colleagues like Yukon MP Brendan Hanley have called for Trudeau to resign, and McLeod acknowledged to Cabin Radio that in the NWT, Trudeau is “not everybody’s favourite person any more.”

Even so, McLeod said northern leaders have spent months working on budget items that could be torpedoed if a federal election is called before its usual spring unveiling.

Deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland’s surprise resignation earlier this month accelerated calls for Trudeau to go and raised the prospect of an election much sooner than October 20, 2025, which is the latest date on which one can be held.

“I’m trying to make sense of everything and look at it from a standpoint of what’s best for the Northwest Territories. I’m not running again, so maybe I’m looking at this through a different lens,” McLeod said on Monday.

“I really want the government to stay in power at least until the budget is approved. Most of us – myself and the Government of the Northwest Territories, Indigenous governments and organizations, national organizations – have been working hard for the last eight or nine months, trying to get a number of things in the budget that we want to see move forward.”

McLeod did not elaborate on those items. It’s generally rare for much information to be available about the contents of a budget this far in advance.

“If an election is called now, that will all go out the window. We won’t have that wish list that we put together any more. Especially if there’s a new government voted in, then the whole process will have to start again and that could change everything completely,” McLeod said.

Though the New Democrats recently stated they will vote no confidence in the government at the earliest opportunity – suggesting Trudeau’s government will not reach the budget intact – McLeod expressed skepticism about that.

“The NDP said they were going to tear up the agreement [that supports the Liberal minority government] several months ago and weren’t going to support the Liberals, but they’ve had four occasions now to take the government down by voting with the Conservatives and the Bloc. They haven’t done that,” he said.

“Last week, we had a non-confidence vote. They supported the government. So it’s interesting that they wait till the Christmas holidays are there … then they come out and say this.

“I don’t really understand the logic. It’s hard to follow what they’re going to do. We just have to wait and see what they actually do when the time comes.”

Below, read a transcript of Monday’s full interview with McLeod.

First elected in 2015, he has said 2025 will mark his last year in federal politics. He hopes to work with youth and advocate for climate solutions after his career as an MP is over, alongside spending more time with his grandchildren.

This interview was recorded on December 23, 2024. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Ollie Williams: What’s your experience of the past week or two as a Liberal politician been like?

Michael McLeod: I was in Ottawa as things kind-of escalated. In the world of politics, there’s never a dull moment but when we hit election year, things have a tendency to ramp up. In normal circumstances, we’re always under fire from the opposition parties. In the last little while, we’re starting to hear voices from within our own ranks.

Some of the Liberal MPs are a little bit concerned for a number of reasons. I think the polls are making many people nervous, and the challenges we’re having in the public opinion are making things difficult for a number of MPs. And there’s also MPs that are upset, some very upset, over what transpired with the Chrystia Freeland situation. Some are very unhappy at how it was handled and some are very worried about their political future. Then, of course, there’s always a few that are just trying to get media attention.

For me, I’m trying to make sense of everything and look at it from a standpoint of what’s best for the Northwest Territories.

I’m not running again, so, maybe I’m looking at this through a different lens, but I really want the government to stay in power, at least until the budget is approved. Most of us – myself and the Government of the Northwest Territories, Indigenous governments and organizations, national organizations – have been working hard for the last eight or nine months trying to get a number of things in the budget that we want to see move forward. There’s agreements that need renewal. If an election is called now, that will all go out the window. We won’t have that wish list we have put together any more. Especially if there’s a new government voted in, the whole process will have to start again and that could change everything completely.

The other concern I have is that if the Prime Minister does decide to step down then we’d be forced to appoint an interim leader, and I’m totally convinced that if we do that, once we have an interim leader, the other parties will for sure push us into an election. And I really don’t want to be in a position where we have an interim leader leading us into an election. So lots of things to consider. It’s an election year. There will be an election in 10 months or less – I would say probably less – but it’s very interesting times, for sure.

What I’m hearing is that you would quite like the Prime Minister to stay on for the time being, not necessarily because you think he has the backing of the party or that he might be the greatest leader right now, but because the North’s interests are best served by getting to the budget. Is that right?

Well, yeah, I think having somebody that’s got the experience that Justin Trudeau has [is appropriate] as we head into a period where we’re going to present a new budget for the next year, as we’re facing changes in the leadership of the United States, as we’re moving into an election year. We need some consistency. We need leadership with experience. Also, I haven’t seen anybody step up and say, “I want to be the prime minister.” So there’s lots of things to consider.

The New Democrats have said they will vote no confidence at the earliest opportunity. Obviously, the Conservatives would do so. It looks as though it might be quite the challenge for the government to reach the budget. How confident are you that that will actually happen?

Well, the NDP said they were going to tear up the agreement several months ago and weren’t going to support the Liberals, but they’ve had four occasions now to take the government down by voting with the Conservatives and the Bloc. They haven’t done that. Last week, we had a non-confidence vote. They supported the government. So it’s interesting that they wait till the Christmas holidays are there. We’re in the Christmas holiday season, and then they come out and say this.

I don’t really understand the logic. It’s hard to follow what they’re going to do. We just have to wait and see what they actually do when the time comes.

You mentioned you haven’t seen anyone inside your party step forward and say, “I want to be the next leader.” That is clearly going to happen sooner rather than later. Are there any candidates that you hope come forward?

Well, I keep waiting to see who would have the same kind of public attention or media attention that the current prime minister has. Who has the prime branding like Justin Trudeau, with the Trudeau name, you know? Is there anybody that can even come close? And it’s going to be difficult to find somebody, but there’s a number of people that I have a lot of respect for.

Dominic LeBlanc has always proven himself to be a solid leader. He is very well spoken. He’s a good listener. He can make deals with all sides of the House, it doesn’t matter what party you belong to. He can talk with the different members.

I like Mark Miller. Mark Miller has really helped us in the Northwest Territories. He’s always been open to working with me, working with others, the leadership in the North. He’s well respected by everybody.

There are people there that I’m sure would give it strong consideration but at this point, nobody has really said anything about wanting to be the leader or challenging the Prime Minister.

You are stepping down at the next election. That will leave a wide open contest in the NWT when a federal election is called. Do you wish your party would hurry up and announce the person who’s going to be running as the Liberal candidate here?

Well, there is no election called at this point. If you look at the actual plans, the election is scheduled to be next October. I think the riding association is taking the time it requires to get everything organized and put in place.

But we also have to be mindful of the fact that if you’re going to put your name forward, that may mean you have to step away from what you’re doing currently. So it would be a long 10 months if you announce that you’re going to run now, and you’re a candidate for the Liberal Party, and the election is not till next October. You may have to step away from your place of employment and do without any financial income.

That doesn’t seem to have been a concern for the Conservatives, for the New Democrats. They have candidates named. I have heard people suggest those parties have a months-long, if not years-long head start on the Liberals here in terms of name recognition and getting their message out for their candidate.

I expect those people that are running for the other parties don’t have a job that requires them to step away from their place of employment. They’re not government workers. They’re not elected people. They don’t have a position where they declare and have to step aside.

Do you know who the Liberal candidate is going to be?

I’ve had a lot of people talk to me. I’ve recommended that they talk to the riding association. So I have a pretty good idea who’s interested, but I don’t know who would actually run.

What do you think will decide the next federal election in the Northwest Territories? What do you think northern voters will be looking for when that time comes?

The most important part is what the platform looks like for each party. The North has always really struggled with deficit situations. In the last while, we’ve really been through a lot. We’ve been dealing with pandemics, floods, fires, we’ve had evacuations. We’ve had issues where people are being challenged with mental health because of the stress, we had high costs. So it’s really going to be based on the messaging in the platform. What do the parties plan to do, and how do they plan to do it? And how much are they planning to do for the North?

Do you think the currently elected Liberal government’s actions have made it easier or harder for a Liberal candidate to get elected here in the NWT next time around?

I can tell you that the Prime Minister is not everybody’s favourite person any more in the Northwest Territories. That’s going to cause some concern.

But at the same time, a lot of people remember what it was like to have the Conservative government in power. We were practically ignored. And when we did get attention, it was because we were in court with them through the Indigenous governments or organizations. It was a constant battle, and very little in terms of investment in Northwest Territories.

So there’s a combination of things. I think whoever is going to be the candidate will really have to be out there and make sure the messaging is right, first of all, but also that it’s heard.

When an election is called, that’ll mean your time as an MP comes to a close. Is there anything left on your political to-do list before that happens. You mentioned some of the budget items, maybe you can give us a clue as to what you’re working on there.

I still have a lot of concerns about a lot of different areas. My challenge is trying to find the energy to keep up with the demands of travel. Living out of a suitcase for all these years is starting to become very, very tiresome.

I would like to work with the youth. I’m really interested in working with the youth, whether it’s at the territorial level to the community level, whether it’s as a volunteer, I don’t know what it is right now.

I also have a lot of concern over what’s happening with the climate. I really want to still be involved in trying to convince people, to educate people about what needs to be done and what’s happening, and how serious it is. So climate actions are something that I’ll probably keep my hand in.

There’s lots of things. My grandkids are demanding my attention and I want to be there for them. I’m sure I’ll be chasing them around and doing what I can to be involved in their lives. I think my life will still be very busy, regardless of not being a politician.