Liberals need to give their 'heads a shake,' minister says after byelection loss

Immigration Minister Marc Miller, a close personal friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said this week's stunning Liberal byelection loss in Toronto-St. Paul's should prompt some soul-searching within the party — but he maintains Trudeau is the one best placed to take on the Conservatives in the next election.

While some pollsters and pundits say the Conservative victory in a former Liberal stronghold is a sign that Trudeau and his party are headed for almost certain defeat in next year's general election, Miller said the party can still work its way back into Canadians' good graces.

"My advice as a close friend would not be given publicly, that's for sure. My advice to him as a minister and a colleague professionally is, absolutely, stay on," Miller said when asked about Trudeau's future.

But he didn't mince words about the stinging defeat, saying it was a bitter loss that should lead to some serious "introspection."

"Let's not minimize this loss. I think a lot of us have to step back, give our heads a shake, screw it on a little better. Stop the navel-gazing and get back on the horse and fight for Canadians," he told reporters at an announcement in Montreal.

Miller said voters' frustration with the government is natural after nearly nine years in office.

Rightly or wrongly, he said, Trudeau and the Liberals are being blamed for all of the country's woes.

To build back its standing among Canadians, Miller said the government needs to redouble its efforts to address the affordability crisis that has driven up the price of just about everything and frustrated younger voters' hopes of home ownership.

"That is something we need to focus squarely on," he said.

The government also needs to draw sharper contrasts with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Miller said.

The Montreal minister said Poilievre is a negative leader who's "peddling" a style of politics that is reminiscent of populist right-wing leaders in the U.S.

Miller has taken public swipes at Poilievre in the past. He's described the opposition leader as a "charlatan" and a "snake oil salesman."

On Wednesday, Miller called the Conservative leader a "fake" and compared him to "a wrestling manager from the '80s," saying he relies on sloganeering and theatrics to score political points.

"He's imported it from the south with his own style and it works for him. But it's not a WWF match, this is reality. Canadians are suffering and we need to fight for them," he said.