NDP MP says Justin Trudeau is ‘radioactive,’ as party looks to create distance

MONTREAL — An NDP MP says voters in his riding are pleased by the party’s decision to break up the formal agreement with the governing Liberals, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s name has become “radioactive.”

Alistair MacGregor, who chairs the party’s caucus and represents the British Columbia riding of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, says his constituents want the party to be focused on tackling their anxieties around the cost of living. 

“In my neck of the woods I think it’s fair to say that my folks are pretty happy that we’ve put some distance between us and the Liberals,” he told reporters on his way into the party’s three-day caucus meeting in Montreal.

“Justin Trudeau’s name is very radioactive in my parts of the country, and, again, they want us to stay focused on the things that are bothering them, which is the cost of living crisis.”

The federal New Democrats are huddling behind closed-doors to plot their strategy for the return of Parliament next week, where the threat of an election now looms larger thanks to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announcing last week he had ripped up the supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals.

First struck in early 2022, the deal allowed the Liberals to govern with more stability in the minority Parliament because in exchange for advancing NDP priorities like pharmacare, dental care and rental supports, the New Democrats voted in favour of passing government legislation. Singh now says offering its support will vary vote-by-vote.

The NDP’s deal with the Liberals was set to last until June 2025. A federal election must happen no later than October 2025.

Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre — who was elected party leader in a whoping first-ballot victory two years ago on Tuesday— has mounted a relentless campaign against Singh’s decision to enter into the deal, accusing him of trading the priorities of the working class for power. 

Calling the NDP leader “sellout Singh” in speeches and campaign signs, Poilievre is trying to send a message to Canadians that a vote for Singh means a vote for Trudeau.

Months of successive polls have placed the Conservatives well-ahead of both the Liberals and New Democrats. Poilievre has also spent more than a year aggressively targeting NDP-held ridings across British Columbia, where most of the NDP caucus hails from, as well as northern Ontario, plus Hamilton and Windsor.

In announcing his decision to tear up the deal, Singh accused Trudeau of being “weak” and bowing to corporate interests, instead of standing up for everyday people dealing with issues like high prices at the grocery store.

The NDP leader also said he needed to spend his time in the remaining Parliament fighting Poilievre, whom he accused of wanting to cut services to Canadians.

Alexandre Boulerice, the party’s lone MP from Quebec who represents a Montreal riding,  told reporters on Tuesday he believes scrapping the deal will help the party’s electoral fortunes “everywhere,” including in the byelection in city’s Liberal stronghold of LaSalle-Emard-Verdun.

Singh’s NDP is also trying to retain its long-held Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, which the Conservatives are trying to pick up.

Blake Desjarlais, who has a seat in Edmonton, says Canadians are looking for something more substantial to help them deal with the immediate cost-of-living crisis than policies like pharamcare and dental care.

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