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New Democrats will not cave to demands from the Bloc Québécois and Conservative leaders to help them bring down the Liberal government, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday.
His party is now all that stands between Justin Trudeau's Liberals and an early election, with the other two opposition parties pledging to try to topple the minority government at the next opportunity.
On Tuesday, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said he will make good on his threat to work with the other opposition parties to bring the Liberals down with a non-confidence vote.
The Conservatives and Bloc together do not have enough MPs to do that if the Liberals and NDP vote together.
Singh said he's not going to "play their games."
"I will not let Pierre Poilievre, the 'king cut,' or the Bloc call the shots," said Singh, who appeared to debut a new nickname for the Conservative leader on Wednesday.
Singh said he doesn't support the Liberals and insisted his party is ready for an election campaign whenever the time comes, but he's not going to make that happen unless he feels it will help Canadians.
"We'll look at any bill that comes forward, any motion that comes forward, and if it's going to help people with these difficult times, we'll look at that," he said.
The Conservatives have already made two attempts to bring down the minority government this fall with a pair of non-confidence motions. Both motions failed, and did not get support from the NDP or the Bloc.
Blanchet last month gave the Liberals a deadline to pass two pieces of legislation, one aimed at old age security and the other at protecting supply management, in order to avoid an election before Christmas.
When the Liberals did not meet that deadline on Tuesday, Blanchet said the House is now in serious danger of falling in the next non-confidence vote.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.
Comments
The Bloc's demands are unrealistic and would place a burden on a already strapped younger generation. Sure, seniors would love the boast if limited to those below the poverty line or some level, but it's not fair to place that burden on the younger generation currently contributing to CPP. These folks are already having a hard time with affordability, buying a home or rents and of course wages that just has fallen so further behind, it is criminal.
The NDP is doing the right thing here to allow the Bloc's demand die and avoid an election we don't need right now with all the instability in the USA and god help us if Trump manages to get elected. It's hard to believe there are so many dumb people in the USA that would vote for a liar and criminal for president. It just boggles the mind.
Many seniors would vote for an increase in pension benefits for those seniors who are currently living below or at the poverty line. A universal increase for every senior in order to achieve this is just a waste of a large portion of this money, and the time and effort that will be expended to claw the excess back through income taxes.
Kudos to Jagmeet Singh for standing strong against the con parties snake oil campaign of deception and lies. A vote for the federal NDP party is a vote against everything the con party stands for, so don't hold your breath in a collusion Harper lackey Pierre Poilievre. A vote for the con party is a vote for Orban and Putin.