One day after publicly tearing up the supply and confidence deal inked more than two years ago with the Trudeau Liberals, the leader of the NDP faced the media in Toronto.
Jagmeet Singh outlined his rationale for ending the deal propping up the struggling Liberals, theoretically opening the door to a potential early election.
“Justin Trudeau has proven, again and again, that he will never stand up to the elites, that he will always cave to corporate greed, and Canadians pay for it every time we pay our bills, buy groceries or pay the rent,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“Canadians are done with his endless disappointment and delay.”
Singh brought few answers on Thursday, largely reiterating remarks and talking points used in his video on Wednesday announcing the end of the deal, accusing the Trudeau Liberals of being “too weak and too selfish” to face off against the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives.
Singh’s favourite cause célèbre, grocery store profits, also saw numerous mentions.
“Let me be clear, Conservative cuts would make things go from bad to worse,” he said.
The NDP’s March 2022 deal ensured they would prop-up the minority-governing Liberals through 2025. In return, the Liberals would guarantee passing a number of laws near and dear to the New Democrat leader’s heart — including childcare, labour reforms and a national dental plan.
The elephant in the room now is the possibility of an early election — one the NDP would almost certainly not be able to afford.
When asked if the NDP are prepared to go to the polls sooner rather than later, Singh ducked questions on the party’s election-readiness.
“We are ready to fight an election whenever it happens, and we’ll take the choice of Canadians,” he said.
“The choice is between Pierre Poilievre, who wants to tear down the things that you count on, or the New Democrats who want to build you up and give you hope.”
When asked what exactly the party is looking for in either the coming fall economic statement or spring budget to avoid toppling the government in a no-confidence vote, Singh remained non-committal.
“We’re going to make that determination on a vote-by-vote basis,” he said.
“We’re going to see what the government presents, and as an opposition party we’ll look at it and we’ll make our decision.”
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