MP John Barlow (Con-Foothills) slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to suspend Parliament and call a leadership race.
Speaking with the Western Wheel, Barlow said Trudeau should have called an election.
Barlow's comments came following Trudeau's announcement on Jan. 6 that he would resign as prime minister and leader of the Liberal party after a leadership contest determines who will replace him.
Parliament has been prorogued until March 24, stopping parliamentary work but not forcing an election.
Barlow said Trudeau's decision comes at a bad time for the country.
“I think this was a cowardly decision by the prime minister,” he said. “When you understand the crisis that we are going to be facing with the president-elect and his tariffs, housing, affordability, two million people going to food banks — the prime minister should have gone to the governor general today and dissolved Parliament and called an election.
“What Canada needs now is a prime minister and a government with a strong mandate from Canadians to show the president-elect that we mean business and to deal with the issues that Canadians are facing."
Trudeau had been facing calls to step aside that grew louder after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from cabinet last month.
Results of a year-end Angus Reid poll on Dec. 30 suggest that support for the federal Liberal party was 16 per cent and that 46 per cent of Canadians were in favour of Trudeau calling a leadership contest.
