NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “has let Canadians down,” and he’s aware that in doing so, an early election is “more likely.”
Facing reporters for the first time today, after making the major announcement Wednesday in a campaign-style video, Singh outlined his “vision for Canada.”
Doubling down on his assertion that Trudeau and the Liberals “can’t deliver change,” and are “too weak and too selfish to stop Pierre Poilievre,” Singh framed the next election as a choice between the NDP and the Conservatives.
Portraying the country as in a place where “the Canadian dream is fading,” while “elites” are “better off than ever,” Singh said the Conservatives would only make it worse, pitching himself as the only prospective prime minister that would change things.
“There is a battle ahead of us. The fight for the Canada of our dreams. The fight against Pierre Poilievre and his callous agenda of Conservative cuts. The fight to restore hope. And the promise that working hard gets you a good life. I’m ready for the fight,” Singh said.
His opening remarks offered little insight into the timing or rationale of extracting his party from the deal. Reporters pressed him on these aspects of his decision, as well as his intentions when it comes to future confidence votes that could determine when the next federal election is called.
“We’ve got a lot done… but it became very clear to me that Justin Trudeau is too beholden to corporate interests to go further… and we know that that makes the election timing more uncertain and, frankly, more likely,” Singh said.
Both Trudeau and Poilievre took reporters’ questions on Wednesday about the major political announcement.
The prime minister said he’s “not focused on politics,” while the Official Opposition leader said it’s time for Singh to put his votes where his messaging is and help him bring down the minority Liberals and force an early vote.
Designed to inject stability in exchange for policy progress when it was inked back in 2022, the two-party pact was set to expire in June 2025, when the House of Commons is to wrap ahead of the next fixed-date election.
But in taking the certainty of NDP support off the table, the Liberals will once again have to look for political support on a case-by-case basis on key votes, in order to stay in power.
Liberals tout big fundraising from deal’s demise
On Thursday, the Liberal Party of Canada said they had a banner day for fundraising on Wednesday after Singh scrapped the deal.
The party sent a fundraising email “from the desk of Justin Trudeau” with the subject line: “Disappointing.” In it, Trudeau accuses Singh of doing “as he was told” by Poilievre in pulling out of the agreement early, and “abandoning progressive policies.”
“In March 2022, when the agreement was reached, I said that we couldn’t let our differences stand in the way of delivering what Canadians deserve and need. But clearly, Jagmeet Singh and the NDP disagree,” reads the email.