Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on October 24. (AP)

TORONTO, Oct 26 (AP): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he will lead his Liberal Party in the next election, rejecting a request from some party members not to seek a fourth term. Trudeau met with his Liberal MPs for three hours on Wednesday, where he learned that more than 20 lawmakers from his party had signed a letter asking him to step down before the next election.

He said there were “extensive conversations” underway about the best path forward, but that “it will happen with me as leader in the next election.” No Canadian prime minister has won four consecutive terms in over a century. Trudeau’s Cabinet ministers said he had the support of the vast majority of the Liberal Party’s 153 members in the House of Commons.

Sean Casey, one of the Liberal lawmakers who signed the letter asking Trudeau to resign, said he was disappointed that Trudeau did not take the time to think, but said he now considers the matter to be resolved and moved on. Casey said Trudeau listened but was not influenced. “It was a decision he had every right to make and he made it,” Casey told reporters.

“I did my job in expressing what I heard from voters and now I have to focus my energy on winning my seat and not on internal party issues. As far as I’m concerned, it’s closed.” Casey said he wouldn’t call it delusional, but said Trudeau “sees something that I don’t see, that my voters don’t see.” The Liberals trail the Conservatives 38% to 25% according to the latest Nanos poll.

The survey of 1,037 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The Liberals recently suffered setbacks in special elections for seats representing two ridings in Toronto and Montreal that the party has held for years, raising doubts about Trudeau’s leadership. The federal election could take place anytime between this fall and next October. The Liberals must count on the support of at least one major party in Parliament, as they do not hold an absolute majority themselves.