New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh has categorically refused to say whether he plans to plunge Canada into a new election campaign, but has limited himself to repeating that this scenario has become “more likely” since he tore up his agreement with the Liberal Party.
“We’re going to look at each vote, and we’re going to decide what’s in the best interests of Canadians and Quebecers. We’re going to study each vote through that lens,” the NDP leader repeated Thursday, on the sidelines of a speech delivered to his supporters in Toronto.
No journalist at his well-attended press briefing was able to get any clues about his willingness to defeat the Liberal government this fall. Jagmeet Singh stuck to his prepared formula: he has torn up his agreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and is “well aware that an election is more likely than in the past.”
Is he prepared to support the motion of non-confidence in the government that the Conservative Party plans to present in the House of Commons when Parliament resumes? “We don’t want to presuppose the outcome of that,” Mr. Singh replied. “We are prepared to face an election, whenever it comes.”
“I can’t guess when an election date is going to come!” he said, after being asked several different ways whether he expects an election to happen as early as this fall. He agrees that the Liberals could now reach agreements with the Bloc Québécois.
Against Pierre Poilievre
In a speech delivered in both languages, Jagmeet Singh first repeated the arguments put forward the day before to break his support and confidence agreement, a unique arrangement in federal political history that was supposed to allow Justin Trudeau’s minority government to remain in power until 2025. He portrayed the Liberal prime minister as “unable to stand up to CEOs,” accusing him of breaking his promises and “abandoning Canadians.”
The leader of the fourth party in the House of Commons then reframed the political debate of the next election campaign as a duel to the finish between the NDP and the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre. Mr. Singh assures that he will run “to be [le] Prime Minister!
“In the next federal election, people will have the choice between Mr. Poilievre’s conservative cuts, or hope for the future brought by the New Democrats,” he said.
On Wednesday, the leader of the official opposition, Pierre Poilievre, reiterated his urgent request to Jagmeet Singh, but also to the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, to trigger an election as soon as possible.
“At some point, the Bloc will have to decide, [tout comme] Jagmeet Singh: Will they still vote for a 189?e “Are they going to vote to keep Justin Trudeau in power, and keep the debts and deficits accordingly, or are they going to vote to trigger an election on the carbon tax?” Mr. Poilievre urged from British Columbia.
The last federal election was held on September 20, 2021, and brought Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to power for a third term, or a second term in a minority position. This means that the government must find at least one other opposition party to support each of its bills. A majority of MPs can trigger a new election by withdrawing their confidence in the government.