In what's turned into a massive political shake-up in Canada, Jagmeet Singh, leader of the progressive National Democratic Party (NDP), is pulling the plug on his party's support deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government. Singh is set to announce the breakup in a video going live on social media Wednesday afternoon - a move that could send shockwaves through the country's political landscape.
The agreement, called a "confidence-and-supply" deal, was supposed to last until June 2025. But Singh says he's had enough.
"Justin Trudeau has proven again and again he will always cave to corporate greed. The Liberals have let people down. They don't deserve another chance from Canadians," says Singh in the video - for which CBC News obtained a transcript.
The decision sets the stage for what Singh calls an even bigger battle - gearing up to challenge Poilievre in the next election, determined to "stop Conservative cuts" and protect Canadians from a government that he claims would prioritize big corporations and wealthy CEOs.
"There is another, even bigger battle ahead. The threat of Pierre Poilievre and Conservative cuts. From workers, from retirees, from young people, from patients, from families — he will cut in order to give more to big corporations and wealthy CEOs," says Singh.
The "Confidence and Supply" agreement was a pact where both parties support the government on key votes, like the budget, in exchange for action on certain priorities. This particular deal between Singh's New Democratic Party (NDP) and Trudeau's Liberals, struck in March 2022, was the first of its kind at the federal level. It ensured that Trudeau’s minority government could survive key votes in Parliament.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently called on Singh to ditch the deal, pushing the NDP to stop backing Trudeau’s Liberals. And now, it looks like Singh is doing just that.
The NDP's spokesperson revealed the move has been in the works for about two weeks, and they plan to discuss with Trudeau’s camp just an hour before the video goes live. If you thought Canadian politics was boring, think again. The gloves are off, and with the next federal election not scheduled until October 2025, there’s a lot of time for punches to be thrown.