On Wednesday, September 4 NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced in a video posted to social media that his party was pulling out of their supply confidence agreement with Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.
“Today, I have notified the prime minister that I have ripped up the supply-confidence agreement,” said Singh. “Canadians are fighting a battle, a battle for the future of the middle class. Justin Trudeau has proven again, and again, that he will always cave to corporate greed.”
For the past two-and-a-half years Singh and the NDP have guaranteed that the minority Liberal government would not fall in exchange for a few key policy demands, such as national pharmacare and dental care programs, as well as federal anti-scab legislation.
Dissatisfaction with the deal had been growing in recent months however. A particular pain point for the NDP was the Liberal government’s decision last week to force binding arbitration on striking rail workers, violating their right to bargain with their employer.
READ MORE: Locked out rail workers are demanding improved safety
Singh specifically cited the Liberals’ consistent support of corporate interests over workers rights as a reason for ending the deal.
“The Liberals have let people down. They don’t deserve another chance,” said Singh. “The fact is the Liberals are too weak, too selfish, and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people.”
Reactions mixed
While no sitting NDP MP has issued their own statement on the announcement, many did share Singh’s video on social media.
NDP supporters were sent an emailed statement from the party announcing the decision to end the supply confidence agreement.
One long-time NDP supporter said that they felt blindsided by the decision and that their confidence in the party had been shaken.
“I am disgusted – and fearful – that there could be a chance that the extreme right-wing party of Poilievre could now go to the polls and win an election,” reads one supporter’s reply to the NDP’s announcement. “Why did you not consult with us, your former supporters and constituents? I will not support you unless you explain fully why.”
NDP takes aim at Poilievre and next election
In his announcement, Jagmeet Singh made no suggestion that he intended to put forward a no-confidence motion against the Liberal government. For an election to happen sooner than the one scheduled for sometime next fall, a non-confidence motion against the Liberals would have to pass in the House of Commons, or they would have to fail to pass a spending bill.
The next budget is not scheduled until the spring of 2025, and Singh likewise gave no hint that he would vote against the budget.
Singh tried to frame the future as not a battle against the Liberals, but against Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
“They cannot be the change, they cannot restore the hope, they cannot stop the Conservatives, but we can,” said Singh of the Trudeau Liberals.
Singh said that the next election will be a battle for the working class and their allies against corporate interests.
“There is an even bigger battle ahead. The threat of Pierre Poilievre and Conservative cuts from workers, from retirees, from patients, from families,” said Singh. “He will cut in order to give to big corporations and wealthy CEOs.”
Rather than continuing to play a supporting role to the Liberals, Singh firmly stated that his party was playing to win the next election.
“In the next federal election, Canadians will choose between Pierre Poilievre’s callous cuts, or hope, hope that when we stand united, we win,” he said, echoing the popular “when we fight, we win” slogan used by the US presidential campaign of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
“I’m running for prime minister, because together we can and will stop Conservative cuts,” Singh said.
Missing from Singh’s statement was any mention of the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, something that Pierre Poilievre and his party have directly attacked.
Also missing from Singh’s statement was any mention of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli military. Despite a non-binding motion from the NDP earlier this year, the Liberals continue to provide arms to Israel.
As stated, the Liberal government will not have to call an election unless they lose a confidence vote in Parliament. If they can truly no longer count on the support of the NDP, then it is possible that they could survive with the support of the Bloc Québecois.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
