NDP will vote to bring down Liberal government, Singh says

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will vote to bring down the Liberal government in the new year.

In a letter on Friday, Singh says Justin Trudeau has failed as Prime Minister to work for Canadians and his party will vote to bring the government down in the House of Commons, likely triggering a federal election.

He says the NDP will bring forward a non-confidence motion in the next sitting of Parliament. The House rose Tuesday for the Christmas break and won’t return
until Jan. 27.

“The Liberal don’t deserve another chance,” reads the letter. “No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up.”

The NDP’s pledge to try to bring down the government adds more uncertainty to the prime minister’s future as he faces mounting pressure to resign follow Chrystia Freeland’s resignation on Monday. 

The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have both been calling on New Democrats to vote non-confidence in the government but the NDP have supported the Liberals on three confidence votes since September.

If such a vote passes, it would trigger an election.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reacted to Singh’s letter by calling it a “stunt.”

“You did the same stunt in September, claiming you’d no longer prop Trudeau up. Then you went back on your word and voted eight times against an election and for your boss Trudeau,” Poilievre wrote on X, referring to Singh ending the supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals. 

After that agreement ended Singh said his party would vote on confidence matters on a case-by-case basis. The NDP voted against the three confidence motions put forward by the Conservatives this fall.

Trudeau has yet to address Freeland’s departure publicly but told Liberal MPs earlier this week that he will reflect on the situation and what he was hearing from them.

Trudeau shuffled his cabinet on Friday to replace ministers who have left or informed him they won’t run again in the next election.