An already embattled Justin Trudeau has been left in an even more politically difficult position after key ally Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) withdrew support from his minority Liberal government ahead of next year’s general election.
The NDP leader made the announcement in a video message on social media, saying the Liberals have “let the people down” and that they “don’t deserve another chance from Canadians.”
Although the Trudeau government is unlikely to fall, the prime minister will have to seek support from other opposition MPs in the House of Commons.
Meanwhile, in Canada, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre held a press conference in which he challenged Jagmeet Singh, whom he calls “Bikaau Singh”, to hold immediate elections.
Holding an early election could be beneficial for the Conservative Party, as it has a good chance of winning amid the anti-incumbency wave against the Trudeau government over the issue of housing crisis and inflation.
There is uncertainty over whether the NDP will bring a no-confidence motion against Mr Trudeau in Parliament.
The Trudeau government is currently safe as power lies with the 32 MPs of the Bloc Québécois, a Canadian regional political party. It seems that the MPs are not against Justin Trudeau and his government at the moment. However, it will be difficult for Mr. Trudeau to pass any new bills or laws as his government’s numbers in Parliament have decreased significantly. His Liberal Party currently has 154 seats in the lower house out of a total of 338 seats.
Although the NDP believed the Liberals were unable to implement many welfare programs, it was successful in pushing through legislation such as pharmacare, dental health care, and a $10-a-day child care plan, as well as supporting the ruling government.
Mr Singh and Mr Trudeau came together to promote a Liberal Party minority government in 2022. The agreement was supposed to continue until October next year, but an NDP spokesperson said plans to end the pact had been underway for the past two weeks.
Reacting to Mr Singh’s announcement, Mr Trudeau said his government will continue to focus on tackling the affordability crisis in the country.
“These are the things we’re focused on. I’ll let others focus on politics. I really hope the NDP will stay focused on what we can do for Canadians rather than focusing on politics, as we have in years past,” he said.
