EXCLUSIVE: Trudeau tells our ‘Inside the Village’ podcast why he has no intention of quitting

Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local — and no topic is off-limits.

On this episode: a very timely conversation with Justin Trudeau.

There has been no shortage of headlines this week about the revolt brewing inside the Liberal Party, with two dozen MPs calling on the Prime Minister to resign during a contentious closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday.

On Friday — one day after assuring reporters on Parliament Hill that he isn’t going anywhere — Trudeau sat down with Inside the Village for a wide-ranging interview that happened to be scheduled well in advance of all the political drama.

Asked again if he has any intention of resigning, Trudeau was adamant.

“I am determined to lead this party into the next election because we need to put all our tools together and I am actually really excited about this fight,” the Prime Minister told the podcast. “I think the opportunity to allow Canadians to make the best possible choice for the future is what we all get into politics for.”

Apart from the big news of the week, Trudeau spent more than 30 minutes answering our questions inside the constituency office of Liberal MP Leah Taylor Roy (Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill).

We talked about immigration levels, public transit, affordable housing, the U.S. presidential election — even Taylor Swift. We also dug into Trudeau’s dismal polling numbers, and why he is still convinced he can turn things around and beat Pierre Poilievre in the next election (whenever that is).

In one of the more candid moments of our conversation, the Prime Minister also talked about what it’s like to see his name plastered on all those “F— Trudeau” flags and bumper stickers. Whichever party you support, you’ll want to hear his answer.

Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms — including the newly launched TorontoToday, serving the city’s downtown neighbourhoods. Check out the new site HERE if you haven’t already.

The podcast is produced by Derek Turner (and for this week’s special episode, with the help of Zack Trunzo). Every episode can be found HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

Have something to say? You can reach us at itv@villagemedia.ca.