A contingent of lawmakers in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party called him to step down or face a disastrous loss in the upcoming national election, according to reports.
Trudeau, who is running for a fourth term, emerged from the Wednesday meeting with members of his party saying they were "strong and united," the Associated Press reported.
Twenty lawmakers from the party signed a letter asking Trudeau to resign - out of about 153 party members in the Parliament, the report said.
"He has to start listening, listening to the people," said Ken McDonald, a Liberal Member of Parliament from Newfoundland who said he signed the letter, the AP said.
The letter, which was not made public, gives him an Oct. 28 deadline to decide although it didn't mention any consequences for ignoring the deadline.
The federal election could come any time between this fall and October 2025, the AP reported.
Polls show the Conservative Party with a nearly 20-point lead over the Liberal Party and have a 95% chance to win a majority in the election, CBC News Poll Tracker found.
Trudeau has the public support of his Cabinet.
"There is what would you call some palace drama going on right now. And that takes us away from the number one job, which is focusing on Canadians," Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, a Liberal Party member, said, the AP reported.
Some lawmakers suggested Trudeau should signal a change in messaging and policy to regain the confidence of members of his party.
"The prime minister has to listen to the frustrations – in some cases, very valid frustrations of caucus colleagues – and incorporate that into changes moving forward," said Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, the Guardian reported.
About two-thirds of Canadians disapprove of Trudeau leadership - a 4-point increase since June, and his approval rating has fallen to 33%, according to an Ipsos poll.
Conservative Party leader leads Trudeau 45% to 26% in the race for prime minister, the poll shows.
