NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announces withdrawal of support agreement, leaving Trudeau’s minority government struggling to secure parliamentary backing. (Image: Reuters)
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s government is jeopardised as the NDP pulls support, forcing Liberals to seek new alliances.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered an unexpected blow on Wednesday when Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) which was helping him keep his minority Liberal government in power withdrew from the supply-and-confidence deal.
This does not mean that Trudeau is in immediate danger of having to step down and call new elections but the risk of collapse remains.
Supply and confidence deals differ from coalition governments, where multiple parties jointly serve in cabinet and govern together.
Trudeau now has to find support from other opposition legislators in the House of Commons chamber if he is to pass budgets and survive confidence votes.
Singh said in a video that he was “ripping up” a deal the two men struck in 2022 and accused Trudeau of not being able to take on the opposition Conservatives, who polls indicate are set to easily win an election that must be held by end-October 2025.
Sources speaking to CNN-News18 said that the NDP’s plan to withdraw from the deal has been going on for months.
“The Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too devoted to corporate interests to fight for people. They cannot be the change – they cannot restore the hope,” said Singh.
“They have let people down. They have failed to take on corporate greed,” he further added.
He added that his outfit is the only party that can halt the surge of Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in the next election.
“I’m focused on Canadians. I’ll let the other parties focus on politics,” Trudeau reacted at a news conference during a stop in Newfoundland province, listing achievements of the Liberal-NDP alliance including a national dental program, as per a report by news agency AFP.
Under the 2022 deal, the NDP agreed to keep Trudeau in power until mid-2025 in return for more social spending. Trudeau first took office in November 2015 and polls suggest he is suffering from voter fatigue.
However, Jagmeet Singh’s party is not faring well either as they are languishing in third place in polls.
Trudeau’s party ahead of NDP’s withdrawal said it “would be a shame if their own weakness and desperation causes them to walk away from a progressive agreement that is delivering for Canadians”.
