TORONTO: Hours after his New Democratic Party (NDP) walked away from a deal with the ruling Liberal government, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed he does not want an early federal election and said he would seek to work with his former partners.
“I look forward to talking with (Jagmeet) Singh about how we continue to demonstrate that a confident country invests in its people and invests in its future, because that’s what we’re doing,” Trudeau said in a statement to media in the town of Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador. His comments came just hours after Jagmeet Singh announced his party would withdraw from the Supply and Confidence Agreement, which had been in place since March 2022.
“I encourage others to focus on politics, but I would point out that I truly hope the NDP doesn’t focus on politics, but remains focused on what we can do for Canadians, just as we have been for the past few years,” Trudeau added.
With Trudeau’s party in the minority in the House of Commons, the opposition Conservatives are already trying to force a quick election, potentially introducing a motion of no confidence when the House of Commons returns to session on September 18.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre told reporters in Nanaimo, British Columbia, that no date had been set for the motion to be tabled. “At this point, we don’t have a timeline that would indicate when we could table the motion,” he said.
But he applied further pressure on the NDP, saying, “After traitor Singh’s actions today, he will have to vote on whether to keep Justin Trudeau’s expensive government in power.”
Trudeau said he expected an early federal election could be avoided, saying, “I sincerely hope that the NDP will stay true to its core values of making sure Canadians get the support they need and avoiding the austerity, cuts and damage that the Conservatives would do if given the opportunity.”
Canada’s federal election is scheduled for October 2025, and Trudeau’s Liberal Party has just 154 members, giving it a minority in the 338-seat House of Commons. Until Wednesday morning, he was surviving the election with the support of 25 New Democrat Party members.
In a video message posted on Wednesday, Singh said the agreement was “destroyed,” adding, “Canadians are fighting a fight. A fight for a middle-class future. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proven time and time again that he will not cave to corporate greed. The Liberal Party has let the people down and should not be given another chance by Canadians.”
The announcement comes at a time when the Trudeau government is deeply unpopular, and that unpopularity is spilling over into the NDP as well: a survey released by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI), a non-profit public opinion polling organization, puts the Conservatives’ approval rating at 43%, a massive 22% lead over the ruling party.