Canadian PM Trudeau weakened after main ally pulls support

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered an unexpected blow on Wednesday when the small political party helping keep his minority Liberal government in power withdrew its support.The announcement does not mean Trudeau is in immediate danger of having to step down and call new elections.However, he will have to find support from opposition legislators in the House of Commons chamber if he is to pass budgets and survive confidence votes.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the left-leaning New Democratic Party, said in a video that he was walking away from a deal the two men struck in 2022. Under it, the NDP agreed to keep Trudeau in power until mid-2025 in return for more social spending.In the video, Singh said Trudeau was not able to stand up for the middle class.“Justin Trudeau has proven again and again he will always cave to corporate greed,” Singh said in a video posted on social media where he also declared that he would run for prime minister in the next election. “Liberals have led people down – they don’t deserve another chance.”
Recent polls suggest that Trudeau, who first took office in November 2015, would lose heavily to the official opposition Conservatives if an election were held now.Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reiterated his call for an early election to break up what he called a Liberal-NDP coalition driving up prices for Canadians.The House of Commons resumes work on Sept. 16, after which the Conservatives will have the ability to propose a vote of confidence. Trudeau’s Liberals could still survive if the NDP abstained on such a vote. A key moment for Trudeau’s government will be its budget update later this year, which, if voted down by legislators would trigger a new election.