Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered a major political setback yesterday with the surprise a statement by his main ally from the left on the termination of their political agreement to support the Liberal minority government, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
The prime minister is not automatically required to call new elections, but will need to find a new supporter in parliament to survive a vote of no confidence.
In a video posted on social media, New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh announced his withdrawal from the alliance formed three years ago.
"I will not be doing politics today," said the Canadian prime minister, when asked about the topic during a visit to schools in the eastern province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In his message, however, Singh did not spare criticism against his former allies: "Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too close to the ultra-rich to fight for the people.
He also accused Justin Trudeau of being unable to stand up to the Conservative opposition. The latter, led by Pierre Poalievre, has a significant lead in opinion polls ahead of the parliamentary elections, which must be held by the end of October 2025.
According to an “Angus Reid” survey published yesterday, the Conservatives are well ahead of the Liberals with 43 per cent of voting intentions to 21 per cent. The NDP is assigned 19 percent.
After Justin Trudeau's Liberals narrowly won in September 2021 after a snap election, the NDP agreed to back the party to protect it from no-confidence votes that could topple the government.
In exchange for this support, the NDP was able to push through a number of social programs, including a new dental program for low-income Canadians and legislation against the use of strike replacement workers.
This agreement was to last until June 2025