Photo Credit: CTV

On September 4, 2024, Jagmeet Singh announced the end of the Supply-and-Confidence Agreement with the Liberal government. The leader of the New Democratic Party posted a campaign-style video on his social media page confirming the tearing-up of the coalition and that the NDP would no longer back the Liberals. However, by surprise, Singh confirmed that he and his MP’s would support the Liberals in a non-confidence motion vote days later. Therefore, the question arises: will the NDP continue supporting the Liberals?

The Supply and Confidence Agreement was a deal under which the Liberals received support from the NDP on confidence votes and supply (which trigger an election if failed) in exchange for legislative commitments on NDP priorities. This arrangement began in March 2022 and was set to assist the minority government until June 2025. But after 30 months of support, Singh stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he had informed Justin Trudeau that the agreement was dead. He stated that, “The Liberals have let people down and don’t deserve another chance.” Singh said he will be running for Prime Minister and is preparing for a greater battle: against Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party.

In an interview held by CBC News, Singh said he will not support the Conservatives, claiming they plan to cut pharmacare, healthcare, dental care, social programs, and pensions. Singh stated he and his party are here to stop ‘Conservative Cuts’ and to win the next federal election. Weeks later, Poilievre put forward a non-confidence motion, calling for an early election, which Singh did not vote in favour of. Rather, he decided to back the Liberals once again, even after the deal was scrapped. When asked why he’s supporting a government that he disapprovingly described previously, Singh said that, although Trudeau has been a bad leader, “Poilievre would be even worse”.
The Bloc Quebecois also voted with the NDP against the non-confidence motion by the Conservatives, despite the misgivings Bloc Leader, Yves-François Blanchet, had about Trudeau. Poilievre has condemned Singh, calling him a ‘liar,’ a ‘fake,’ among other unsavoury terms since he suspiciously went from condemning the Liberals to backing them up in only a matter of days.

He stated, “The people of Canada cannot trust anything that he says.” The motion, with the opposition of Liberals, NDP, and Bloc members, was voted down, meaning there will not be an early election. However, a federal election still awaits, and it will sure be a tremendous one for Canadians.