NDP breaks off its supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals
The breaking of the supply-and-confidence agreement sparks the possibility of an early federal election which could see the Liberal Party replaced.
On September 4, the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) officially pulled out of its supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberal government via a video released by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.
Singh stated that the NDP is the only party capable of preventing the Conservative Party from winning the next federal election, noting that the Liberals are “too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people.”
The Liberal government was meant to be informed of the NDP’s decision an hour before the video was scheduled to go live. However, a senior government source told CBC News that the prime minister’s office was only notified eight minutes before the video was posted on social media.
Established in 2022, the supply-and-confidence agreement required the NDP to support the Liberal government in Parliament votes and ensured the government’s commitment to promote NDP priorities.
The deal helped establish a national dental care program, which the Liberals described as one of the largest social programs in the country. Passed in June 2024, the Pharmacare Act is committed to launching coverage for diabetes medication and birth control. Other accomplishments of the deal include the emergence of the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act and the Housing Accelerator Fund, which incentivizes cities to increase housing.
The conclusion of the deal puts the Liberals in a precarious position since they can no longer depend on the NDP for their imperative support in Parliament, given the Liberals’ status as a minority government.
The million-dollar question which arose from the ordeal was whether the deal’s termination would expedite the next federal election. Canadians will receive an update on that note in the second week of Parliament’s fall siting after Members of Parliament vote on conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s motion—which will decide whether Canada will hold an early election.
If the Conservatives achieve a positive result after the vote, Poilievre will be able to make the most of his rising popularity.
According to an Ipsos poll conducted between September 5 and September 9, 45 per cent of Canadians have Poilievre as their top pick compared to 26 per cent in favour of Justin Trudeau and 23 per cent for Singh.
This news is another setback for the Liberal Party, which lost two federal seats in recent byelections: one in a Toronto riding they had held for thirty years to the Conservatives and another in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in Montreal to the Bloc Québécois.
On September 18, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said that his party would vote against Poilievre’s motion, indicating that he is “at the service of Quebecers,” while also stating, “Conservative values are not Quebec values.”
The NDP has not declared a clear intention so far. While Singh stated on September 17 that the Liberals “don’t deserve another chance,” he also explained that his party will make their decisions on a “case-by-case” basis.
