NDP MP says he won’t play Poilievre’s ‘games’ to bring down Trudeau

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OTTAWA — At least one NDP MP is reluctant to bring down Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government and force a federal election if it means putting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in power.

“I have a long and consistent record of opposing Mr. Poilievre’s tactics. I do not believe he is fit for leadership and will not support his procedural games,” said New Democrat Charlie Angus, in an email to National Post, in a reference to a Conservative ploy to use the public accounts committee to quickly bring down the government in January.

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Angus posted to Facebook that he would “put country first” and would “not vote with Pierre Poilievre to force an election.” Poilievre’s Conservatives have a massive lead in the polls and would be heavily favoured to win a majority government if an election were held today.

“Canadians deserve a plan, not political brinkmanship” wrote Angus.

The MP’s position clashes with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s pledge earlier this month to introduce a non-confidence motion after Parliament returns on Jan. 27.

“If our party brings forward a motion it would be clear to me that the Trudeau government will fall,” said Angus, although he didn’t clarify if he would personally vote for the NDP non-confidence motion.

Conservatives wasted no time pillorying Singh and the NDP for the mixed message, arguing it proves Singh’s “word is utterly worthless,” in a statement from the party attributed to House Leader Andrew Scheer.

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“After all, he voted confidence in his boss Justin Trudeau eight times after his big stunt where he ‘ripped up’ their costly coalition agreement,” the statement reads.

Angus, who has already announced he won’t be running in the next federal election, said that Trudeau’s political shelf life is likely to be limited anyway, after the dramatic resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Dec. 16.

Freeland resigned hours before she was set to deliver a fall economic statement that blew past the government’s fiscal targets. In her resignation letter addressed to Trudeau posted on the social media site X, Freeland said she had argued for “eschewing costly political gimmicks” in the face of serious economic threats from the United States.

“Ms. Freeland has done enormous damage to Mr. Trudeau and it’s not clear how long this government will survive,” said Angus, in an email to National Post.

Since Freeland’s resignation, Trudeau has weathered increasing calls from his own caucus to resign as leader, which would prompt a Liberal leadership race ahead of the upcoming federal election in 2025. Some political observers have speculated that Trudeau could shut down Parliament, either to resign and allow time for a leadership race or to reset his government’s agenda before the upcoming election.

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Trudeau told his caucus that he would use the holidays to “reflect” on his future with the party. During a holiday ski trip to British Columbia, Trudeau has even faced the ire of passersby on the ski slopes, including a woman who told him to “please get the f— out of B.C.”

New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, who has been calling for Trudeau to step down since the summer, posted a letter from the Atlantic Liberal caucus addressed to the prime minister calling on him to resign.

Atlantic caucus chair and Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois signed the letter, which argues that Canada needs new leadership to respond to tariff threats from incoming U.S. President Donald Trump. Blois also points to public comments by opposition leaders that they plan to vote non-confidence in the government when Parliament resumes.

“If we are to have any chance in the next election, and prevent a Pierre Poilievre government, we need new leadership with a new vision for our party and the country,” Long wrote on Facebook.

Long wouldn’t say Monday how many of the 24 Liberal MPs in the Atlantic caucus agreed to send the letter, but said there was a “clear majority” in favour of it, with “no need for a show of hands” at a Dec. 23 meeting.

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A B.C.-based Liberal MP told the National Post that the party’s B.C. caucus also met virtually on Dec. 23 to discuss Trudeau’s leadership.

”We came to pretty much the same conclusion as the other regional caucuses,” said the MP, referring to leaked details about Ontario and Atlantic Liberal MPs agreeing it was time for Trudeau to step aside.

The source also said that some on the call, like retiring Vancouver MP Joyce Murray, advocated for Trudeau to stay on as prime minister.

Surrey, B.C., MP Sukh Dhaliwal publicly voiced his continued support for Trudeau last week.

Calgary Liberal MP George Chahal, one of the party’s two MPs in Alberta, also called for Trudeau’s resignation over the weekend, posting on social media a letter he sent to the president of the Liberal party.

“Our leadership is not hearing Canadians and many Liberals are ringing the fire alarm,” wrote Chalal.

National Post

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