NDP Ends Supply and Confidence Agreement with Liberals: What It Means for Canadian Politics

On Wednesday, September 4th, Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada’s New Democrats Party (NDP), announced that his party would be ending the supply-and-confidence agreement that the NDP had with the Justin Trudeau-led Liberal Government. The announcement came in the form of a video posted to social media in which Singh defended the move by stating that “The fact is, the Liberals are too weak, too selfish, and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people.” 

When asked about Singh’s announcement, which the Liberals were only made aware of an hour before it went live on social media, the Prime Minister stated, “I really hope the NDP stays focused on how we can deliver for Canadians, as we have over the past years, rather than focusing on politics”. He then went on to elaborate on the various ways that his government is currently helping the Canadian people with the cost of living crisis. Singh’s announcement was even criticized by Conservative leader Pierre Pollievre who referred to the entire thing as a ‘stunt’. 

Still, the move could have big implications for Canadian politics as the existance of the deal, which was supposed to last until 2025, was what ensured the survival of the Liberal minority government. At the most basic level, the NDP’s termination of the agreement means that instead of working with the Liberal party when the House of Commons reconvenes on September 16, the party will be voting on a case to case basis. However, many believe that this loss of support for the Liberal will mean an early election. This is because, without the support of the NDP, the Liberal Government is no longer guaranteed the number of seats needed to pass a confidence vote should one be called. In fact, Pollievre, the opposition leader, has already shown a willingness to do so, having attempted to inititate such a vote in March of this year. Thus in one move the NDP have destablized the state of Canadian poltics and increased the chances of a Canadian federal election being held long before the original date of October 2025.