Canada’s New Democratic Party, a former ally of the minority Liberal government headed by Justin Trudeau, has reportedly now declared its readiness to overthrow the administration in a non-confidence vote.
Consequently, the government’s immediate future is in jeopardy.
On Friday, the NDP released its declaration just prior to the announcement of a restructured cabinet by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
This announcement was made as he contemplated his future in the wake of the unexpected resignation of his finance minister and trusted ally, Chrystia Freeland, earlier this week.
This now implies that all three primary opposition parties—including the Conservative Party and Bloc Quebecois—are now in agreement to defeat the government at the earliest possible moment when parliament resumes in late January following a winter vacation.
The NDP and the governing Liberals previously entered into a political accord in which the NDP agreed to assist Trudeau in passing legislation and surviving potential non-confidence votes.
In these cases, the opposition has the ability to initiate an election by defeating the government. In the autumn, the NDP scuttled the accord; however, they had previously supported Trudeau on critical votes.
Singh had earlier this week called for Trudeau to resign, but he did not pledge to assist the other two opposition parties in defeating the Liberals in a non-confidence motion.
On Friday, Trudeau participated in a ceremony at Ottawa’s Rideau Hall, where Liberal legislators were sworn into their new cabinet roles.
Eight new Liberal legislators are expected to join the cabinet, as the shuffle reportedly involves 12 portfolios.
However, the most significant transformation occurred on Monday, when Freeland abruptly resigned from her position as finance minister, citing policy disagreements with the prime minister.
She submitted her resignation on the same day that she was scheduled to present her autumn economic statement.
A number of Liberal Party legislators have called on Trudeau to resign in the wake of her resignation.
The cabinet transition is deemed irrelevant by political analysts in light of the NDP’s declaration.
An election must be conducted by October of the following year; however, it may occur earlier if the government is defeated in the legislature.
In the majority of public-opinion surveys, the Liberals have been trailing the Conservative Party by approximately 20 percentage points for more than a year.
Trudeau’s net approval rating is an abysmal 28%, according to polling conducted by the Angus Reid Institute on Friday.
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