Ottawa: In a major setback for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party (NDP), a key ally keeping his Liberal Party in power, unexpectedly withdrew support on Wednesday. This has put Trudeau's government at the risk of a collapse, although he may not be in immediate danger of having to step down and declare new elections.
"Today, I notified the Prime Minister that I've ripped up the supply and confidence agreement," announced the left-leaning Jagmeet Singh, who is widely believed to be pulling Trudeau's strings on the Khalistan issue after he helped the Canadian PM to power after the 2021 election. Trudeau has been too lenient on vocal Khalistani supporters and anti-India aggression to avoid displeasing Jagmeet Singh's party.
The move leaves Trudeau reliant on support from other opposition lawmakers to survive confidence votes in the lower chamber of parliament at a time when polls show he will lose badly if an election were held now. An election must be held by the end of October 2025 under Canadian law. "An election will come in the coming year, hopefully not until next fall, because in the meantime, we're going to deliver for Canadians," he told reporters.
Why did Jagmeet Singh withdraw support?
Trudeau, 52, first took office in November 2015 but has over the last two years struggled to fend off attacks from the opposition centre-right Conservatives, who blame him for high inflation and a housing crisis. With the NDP's support, his government has pushed through social programs designed to address the cost of living.
However, Jagmeet Singh had expressed growing frustration with Trudeau in recent months, especially over what he said was the Liberals' failure to deal with high prices at grocery stores. "Justin Trudeau has proven again and again he will always cave to corporate greed... Liberals have led people down - they don't deserve another chance," he said in a video address on Wednesday, while announcing that he would run for PM himself.
Meanwhile, Trudeau said he hoped the NDP stays focused "on how we can deliver for Canadians, as we have over the past years, rather than focusing on politics." This comes when polls show a growing voter fatigue with the NDP, who are in the third place after the Conservative and the Liberal parties.
What next for Trudeau?
Under the 2022 supply and confidence agreement, the NDP agreed to keep Trudeau in power until mid-2025 in return for more social spending. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reiterated his call for an early election to break up what he called a Liberal-NDP coalition driving up prices for Canadians.
The House of Commons resumes work on September 16, after which the Conservatives will have the ability to propose a vote of confidence. Trudeau's Liberals could still survive if the NDP abstained on such a vote. A key moment for Trudeau's government will be its budget update later this year, which, if voted down by legislators would trigger a new election.
(with agency input)
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