NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to the media at the party's caucus retreat in Montreal on Sept. 10, backed by members of his caucus.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
Voters are welcoming the decision by New Democrats to distance the party from the governing Liberals, the NDP caucus chair says, describing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as politically “radioactive.”
Alistair MacGregor, who represents the Vancouver Island riding of Cowichan–Malahat–Langford, suggested the supply-and-confidence agreement that has been in place between the two parties since March, 2022, had become untenable, given the unpopularity of Mr. Trudeau.
“In my neck of the woods, I think it’s fair to say that my folks are pretty happy that we’ve put some distance between us and the Liberals. Justin Trudeau’s name is very radioactive in my parts of the country,” he said.
NDP MPs are meeting this week in Montreal for three days of caucus meetings ahead of Monday’s resumption of House of Commons sittings.
It is the first time the caucus has met face to face since NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced last week that he had “ripped up” the supply-and-confidence agreement between his party and the Liberals.
It is also the first time many of the MPs have spoken to the media since the party made the significant strategic decision.
The NDP MPs who spoke with reporters Tuesday gave the impression that the party’s focus will be on securing more policy gains in Parliament rather than voting to force an immediate election.
Mr. Singh, however, clearly ruled out a new formal pact with the Liberals. “We’re not looking for a new agreement. We’ve torn up the agreement. There is no new deal,” he said.
The NDP Leader opened an afternoon news conference by saying “people are done with Justin Trudeau and the Liberals, but we cannot return to Conservative cuts.”
Despite his rhetorical focus on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who is well ahead in public opinion polls and is urging Mr. Singh to vote down the Liberal government, Mr. Singh and the NDP MPs gave no indication that they are pushing for an immediate election.
“We will look at each vote and make a decision that’s in the best interests of Canadians,” he said when asked how he would vote on a clear motion of non-confidence in the government. “Our team and I are going to discuss that, actually, over the next couple of days, how we want to deal with different votes.”
The co-operation deal, first agreed to in March, 2022, saw NDP MPs pledge to keep the minority Liberal government in power in exchange for action on NDP policy priorities, such as dental care and a limited version of pharmacare.
Mr. Singh and other NDP MPs went canvassing Tuesday evening in the Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, where a by-election will take place Monday. The NDP is hoping to win the riding long held by the Liberals.
NDP deputy leader Alexandre Boulerice, the party’s only MP from Quebec, said the party is optimistic about its chances. “We are cautious of course, but we are hopeful that I will no longer be the only NDP in Quebec,” he said.
The riding has traditionally been a Liberal stronghold, but both the NDP and the Bloc Québécois are viewed as being competitive in the byelection.
A by-election will also take place Monday in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood-Transcona, a seat that was previously held by the NDP.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said this week that his party is ready to work out a deal with the Liberals in Parliament in exchange for action on Bloc priorities, including increased benefits for seniors.
“What’s very funny is that Mr. Blanchet has criticized us for two years for negotiating with the Liberals, and today he’s super happy to say he can negotiate with the Liberals. So I wish him good luck,” Mr. Boulerice said. “We got what we needed with that deal, and now it’s over.”
He also told reporters that Mr. Singh had the unanimous support of the caucus to end the deal.
However, Ontario NDP MP Carol Hughes said she struggled with the decision.
“I’m sure everyone had their own points of view,” she said. “For me, certainly we were able to obtain a lot. And I was torn over the decision, should we do it or not? But we had to do it at some point.”
NDP MP and finance critic Don Davies said he was proud of the deal. He also said ending it simply means the parties will return to the traditional way that minority Parliaments operate, where the NDP will make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
“We can negotiate with a government like we always do [in] every minority government, and try to extract progressive policies from them as a condition of our support,” he said.
NDP MP Blake Desjarlais said leaving the agreement with the Liberals gives his party more negotiating power. “I think it’s necessary to end the deal to give us better leverage,” he said, adding that the NDP will work with any party in Parliament that wants to support progressive policies.