Justin Trudeau lost this week the partner who had assured him of a smooth minority government in Canada. In a video posted on social media, Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party (NPD), caused a huge surprise in the country by announcing the end of the agreement that his group had signed two and a half years ago with the Liberal Party of Canada. “The Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too close to billionaires to fight for the people,” Singh said in part of the recording, released on Wednesday, adding that the prime minister “does not deserve another chance.”
Trudeau and Singh had signed the agreement in March 2022. In exchange for the New Democratic Party’s support in key votes in parliamentary sessions, the Liberals committed to carry out several projects proposed by the NDP. Some of these initiatives were the launch of a national plan for access to medicines and a dental care program for disadvantaged sectors.
Jagmeet Singh said he would seek to become prime minister in the next federal election to “give people hope again,” and said his party was a better option than the Conservatives, who are the front-runners in the polls. Analysts in Canadian media commented that Singh’s decision had a lot to do with the advance of the conservative message in some sectors traditionally close to the NDP, as well as with the feeling among some citizens that party members and Liberals share a common image.
The latest poll, conducted by Anguis Reid and released Tuesday, puts the Conservative Party of Canada in the lead with 43% of the vote. Trudeau’s Liberals are at 21%, Singh’s NDP at 19% and the Bloc Quebecois at 10%. Federal elections are scheduled for October next year. However, Singh’s announcement could bring forward the date of the election. Parliamentary work will resume on September 16.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservatives, announced on Wednesday that he will present a motion of no confidence against the Trudeau government in order to force the early elections. Poilievre indicated that he hopes to have the support of the New Democrats, demanding that the party make an effort to be coherent in the parliamentary vote. However, another possibility is that the Liberals could obtain the support of the Bloc Québécois to continue governing, although to do so they would have to give in to a series of requests from the party that represents the interests of the French-speaking province. Likewise, the NPD could continue to give its vote in the lower house to the Liberals, although on a case-by-case basis.
Following Singh’s announcement, Justin Trudeau said he hopes the neo-democrats continue to support the policies of the minority Liberal government. “The NDP will have to make a decision: do they want to play politics or do they want to serve Canadians? We have already chosen what to do as a government and we will continue to serve Canadians,” Trudeau said during a visit to Newfoundland and Labrador.
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