OTTAWA — The NDP isn’t taking the bait.
One day after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said they’d join in efforts to bring down the minority Liberals, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wants nothing to do with it.
“I will not let Pierre Poilievre, the ‘king cut,’ or the Bloc to call the shots,” he told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
“I don’t want a Liberal government, I don’t want Justin Trudeau as prime minister. There will be an election, and when that election comes, people will have an important choice.”
Singh’s hopes of Canadians somehow handing the NDP a mandate for leadership in any upcoming election are woefully optimistic.
While Singh ranks above Poilievre and Trudeau in this week’s Angus Reid poll numbers, the NDP only rank 20% in vote intentions, behind the Liberals at 21% and the Conservatives with a commanding 43% of the decided vote.
This news comes as little surprise to observers, who say the NDP aren’t in a good position for any sort of snap election.
As well, the NDP were involved in an over two-year long supply and confidence deal to prop up the minority Liberals, until Singh dramatically tore the agreement up two months ago.
Without NDP support, efforts to successfully bring the Trudeau Liberals down with a non-confidence vote won’t succeed.
Singh dodged questions on if he’d ever rule out working with either the Bloc or Tories to bring down the government.
“I’m not going to let Pierre Poilievre, the ‘king cut’ himself, or the Bloc, decide when to cut these things that people need,” he said.
“I’m not going to play their games.”