3 months ago
15
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
declared the end of a
supply-and-confidence agreement
with the
Liberal government
, emphasizing that the partnership “accomplished a lot” for Canadians, particularly low-income families, during a press conference in Toronto on Thursday.
Singh pointed to the introduction of a
dental-care program
and the progress on
national pharmacare
as significant victories under the deal between the Liberals and NDP.
“We got dental care for millions of Canadians. We’re able to get the first steps on pharmacare to be able to get things done that are going to make people’s lives better,” Singh told reporters.
Despite these accomplishments, Singh argued that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is unable to deliver further changes. “It became very clear to me that Justin Trudeau is too beholden to corporate interest to go further, unwilling to stop big corporations that are ripping off Canadians,” Singh said.
The announcement came after Singh released a video on Wednesday, stating he had “ripped up” the deal with the Liberals, accusing them of failing to meet their commitments. Singh positioned the NDP as the only party capable of halting the rising Conservative Party, which is gaining momentum ahead of the next federal election.
While Singh did not confirm whether his party would support a non-confidence motion that could bring down the minority Liberal government, he noted that an election is now “more likely than before.”
The confidence-and-supply agreement, established in March 2022, was designed to keep the Liberals in power until June 2025. In return for NDP support on confidence votes, the Liberals agreed to prioritize several policies, including the dental-care program and national pharmacare.
Moving forward, Singh said the NDP will make decisions on a “vote-by-vote basis,” weighing support for the Liberals based on individual legislative proposals.
Prime Minister Trudeau, speaking from Newfoundland and Labrador on Wednesday, downplayed the political drama, expressing a desire to continue collaborating on key policies. “I really hope the NDP stays focused on how we can deliver for Canadians, as we have over the past years, rather than focusing on politics,” Trudeau said. While he refrained from predicting an election date, Trudeau hinted that a vote is likely in 2024, as Canada’s next scheduled federal election must occur by October 2025.
