OTTAWA — Statements made earlier this week by an NDP MP added jet fuel to rumours that the New Democrats are running out the clock until their party leader becomes pension-eligible.
Speaking on CTV Power Play on Monday, New Westminster—Burnaby MP Peter Julian offered up a curious timeline for when the NDP would join opposition parties in toppling the government in a confidence vote.
“What (NDP Leader) Jagmeet Singh said very clearly is that the Prime Minister has lost our confidence, he must resign,” Julian told host Vassy Kapelos.
“When we come back in the new year, in February/March, if the Prime Minister is still in office at that time, if he hasn’t stepped down, I think the NDP will be taking the taking the proper conclusions on that as Jagmeet Singh said, and would be using all of the tools that we have available.”
Despite the House of Commons calendar clearly stating Jan. 27 as the first day of the 2025 session, Julian insisted measures wouldn’t be taken until well over a month after MPs return from their Christmas break.
“We would have another opportunity at the end of February or early March,” he said.
Julian said the same thing in a separate interview on CBC Power and Politics.
“If we’re talking the end of February and the beginning of March, and Mr. Trudeau has not stepped down, hasn’t heeded that call from his own caucus, his own cabinet, from all the opposition parties, then yes, of course that would mean if we’re coming to a straight-up non-confidence motion at the end of February/early March,” he told host David Common.
“That’s one of the tools that we have.”
According to calculations by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF,) Singh’s six-year eligibility for a lifetime parliamentary pension begins on Feb. 25, 2025.
The CTF estimates Singh’s pension will start at $48,000 annually, and he will be eligible for a lifetime pension worth $2.4 million.
“It is suspicious that the NDP seems to be waiting until after Singh qualifies for his taxpayer-funded pension to vote non-confidence in the government,” CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano told the Toronto Sun.
“MPs should be making decisions for the benefit of Canadians, they shouldn’t be delaying decisions to benefit their own pensions.”
Inquires for comment to the federal NDP went unacknowledged by press time.
Despite publicly tearing up the two-year old supply and confidence agreement between the NDP and Liberals and frequently criticizing the Trudeau Government, Singh has been reluctant to join with efforts by the Tories and Bloc Québécois topple the government.
But without NDP support, neither opposition party would have enough votes for a successful confidence vote.
When contacted for comment, the Conservatives directed the Sun to Pierre Poilievre’s criticism of Singh for not supporting previous confidence motions.
“He has got to end his hypocrisy and stop selling out the people and put his votes where his words are,” Poilievre said Tuesday.
The bigger issue, Terrazzano said, isn’t just one pension.
“It’s the cost of all MPs’ pay and pensions — if politicians want to be true champions of taxpayers, then they would push to reduce pay and perks for all MPs,” he said.
“MPs take lifetime, taxpayer-funded platinum pensions. If they don’t get a pension, they get a six-figure severance. Every year, all MPs take a pay raise even though Canadians are struggling. When politicians don’t show leadership on their own pay, bureaucrats demand more money from taxpayers. And it is the bureaucracy costs that are soaking taxpayers.”