Former PM Chretien says Liberal party must move back to 'radical centre'

As the Liberal party searches for a new leader, former prime minister Jean Chretien says it's time for the party to move back to the "radical centre" to help its electoral fortunes.

"It is a fundamental condition for the party to come back to be the radical centre, as I used to say, because it is what has been the Liberal party all along," Chretien said in an exclusive interview with CTV Question Period airing Sunday.

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Following months of political turmoil and pressure from his caucus to oust him, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he is resigning as leader once a successor is selected. The party says a new leader will be picked on March 9.

For more than two years, the Liberals had a supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP, in which the NDP supported the Liberals in exchange for progress on shared priorities. Under the deal — which ended last summer — policies such as dental care and pharmacare moved forward, pushing the Liberals further to the left.

But since Trudeau's resignation announcement, some Liberal MPs have publicly expressed a desire to see the party move more to the political centre.

"It's critically important that we choose somebody that's middle of the road, understands the needs of Canadians and will put Canadians first," Ontario MP Judy Sgro said to reporters on Wednesday ahead of a caucus meeting.

"As we go forward, I think Canadians want us to continue to look at ways to support their priorities while also being fiscally responsible," Ontario MP Charles Sousa said Wednesday. "I am very keen on ensuring that we concentrate on the economy as we move ahead."

Asked by host Vassy Kapelos about those views, Chretien said, "I think the party is coming back there, I'm sure."

For more than a year, the Liberals have trailed the Conservatives in public opinion polling. According to the latest numbers from Nanos Research released Jan. 7, the Conservatives lead the Liberals by 22 points, at 45 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

In the wake of those numbers, the new Liberal leader could quickly face a general election, as opposition parties have signalled they will move to bring down the Liberal government once the House of Commons returns on March 24.

When asked whether the party's new leader can surmount that deficit in a short amount of time, Chretien said "things can change quickly."

Speaking to Kapelos, Chretien referred to his win over incumbent Progressive Conservative prime minister Kim Campbell in 1993, in which the PCs were reduced from 156 seats to just two.

"(Campbell) became the prime minister. She was ahead of me by 10 or 15 points," Chretien said, going on to say, "She faced me and, you know … she lost her seat. She finished only with two seats, and all that happened in the period of six months."

Chretien said Trudeau's decision to leave 'his privilege'

Chretien served as prime minister for a decade and near the end of his tenure experienced similar political pressures to Trudeau. After losing the majority of caucus support and an in-party rivalry with his finance minister Paul Martin, Chretien announced in August 2002 that he would resign in February 2004, but that position proved to be untenable. He eventually stepped down in December 2003, handing over power to Martin.

Asked whether Trudeau waited too long to leave, Chretien said "it was his privilege" to decide when to step aside.

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"He could have stayed. Of course, he was facing some turbulence, and it's happening all the time, you know, in politics, it's like that," Chretien said.

Despite the latest turmoil, Chretien commended Trudeau's time as prime minister, saying he "served well."

"He was great for the Liberal party. He took us in third position, and he won the election for us," Chretien said, adding "he's done something that nobody else has ever been able to do. Usually, minority governments never survive more than two years and a half. Now he's in his fourth year. It's unique."

You can watch the exclusive interview with former prime minister Jean Chretien on Question Period this Sunday at 11ET/8PT on CTV.