Gov. Gen. Mary Simon (left) and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau look over at appointed ministers including Public Safety Minister David McGuinty (centre) during a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Friday, Dec.20, 2024.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
New Democrats pulled their support for the minority Liberal government on Friday, throwing the beleaguered Prime Minister’s tenure into further doubt just minutes before Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet.
As Liberal MPs walked into Rideau Hall to be sworn in as part of Mr. Trudeau’s front bench, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh released a letter on social media in which he committed to vote non-confidence in the government after the House returns on Jan. 27.
The announcement is a marked change from the position his party took this fall when it repeatedly gave confidence in the government and the one he staked out earlier this week, where he said the NDP would leave all options on the table when deciding whether to still support the minority Liberals after deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland quit cabinet.
“The NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them. No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up,” said Mr. Singh in the Friday letter.
His letter was silent on how the NDP would vote on non-confidence motions from other parties. Mr. Singh’s office said the NDP will table a non-confidence motion during the party’s first and only opposition day in the next parliamentary sitting. The government gets to decide when to schedule opposition days and has not yet assigned them for the winter term.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall on Dec. 20.DAVE CHAN/AFP/Getty Images
While the timing is uncertain, the NDP’s announcement leaves the Liberals without any reliable allies in the House of Commons to ensure they can survive confidence votes and get their agenda through Parliament.
Despite that, the cabinet shuffle proceeded only a few minutes late on Friday morning, and was presided over by Mr. Trudeau. Late in the day, the Prime Minister spoke briefly to reporters for the first time since Ms. Freeland’s Monday resignation. But he declined to answer questions about his political future and instead said his new cabinet was focused on dealing with the incoming administration of Donald Trump.
“We have a lot of work to do and that’s what we’re focused on,” he said, citing the need to protect the economy and jobs in the “Canada-U.S. dynamic.”
On Friday, three more Liberal MPs added their names to those who have publicly called for the Prime Minister to resign. The tally was at just a few before Ms. Freeland’s resignation and scathing attack on his leadership, but it now sits at 21 – about 18 per cent of Mr. Trudeau’s back bench.
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Toronto MP Rob Oliphant posted a letter on social media Friday morning urging the Prime Minister to “relinquish the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada” and called for a robust leadership race.
The Globe and Mail reported on Thursday that Mr. Trudeau was in discussions with close advisers about whether he should stay as leader, but it remained unclear where the conversations would land with the expectation set that he would only make a decision in the new year.
After the swearing in ceremony, new Housing and Infrastructure Minister Nate Erskine-Smith, a Toronto MP, acknowledged to reporters that he’s going to have a “short runway” to make a difference in his new file. While Montreal MP Rachel Bendayan, who was promoted to Official Languages Minister, told reporters that the Prime Minister is still reflecting on his future.
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Other ministers insisted on a positive message, with Steve MacKinnon, who on Friday became Employment Minister in addition to his role at Labour, telling reporters that the cabinet is “full of new energy.”
“We are a united front,” newly promoted Treasury Board President Ginette Petitpas Taylor offered to reporters.
The Prime Minister’s Office had been planning the cabinet shuffle for months, but what was initially supposed to be a revamped team to take on Mr. Trump turned into one focused on filling the holes in the wake of Ms. Freeland’s exit and former central banker Mark Carney’s refusal to join the fray.
On Monday, Mr. Trudeau’s long-time friend, Dominic LeBlanc, was promoted to Finance. His role at Public Safety was taken over by Ottawa MP David McGuinty. The new minister maintained in a scrum with reporters that the government still has time to negotiate with an opposition party before the House returns at the end of January.
“Between now and Jan. 27 much could happen,” Mr. McGuinty said.
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In total, eight MPs were promoted into cabinet and four ministers had their portfolios changed. Mr. Trudeau’s cabinet is made up of 39 ministers, including himself.
Quebec MP Élisabeth Brière is now Minister of National Revenue; Nova Scotia MP Darren Fisher is Veterans Minister; Newfoundland and Labrador’s Joanne Thompson took over as Seniors Minister; Liberal campaign co-chair and Manitoba MP, Terry Duguid, is now Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada; and government whip and Ontario MP Ruby Sahota is now the Minister of Democratic Institutions and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
Mr. Trudeau also reassigned four of his existing ministers, some of whom were juggling multiple roles. He left Anita Anand as Minister of Transport, while adding the internal trade portfolio to her responsibilities, and handed her second role as Treasury Board President to Ms. Taylor.
Gary Anandasangaree will remain Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and add Northern Affairs and Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency to his files.
Missing from the regional mix is a cabinet minister from Alberta.
A federal election is scheduled for next October, but the NDP’s decision to pull confidence means an election is now expected much sooner.
In the wake of Ms. Freeland’s Monday resignation, both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet called on Mr. Trudeau to call a general election.
On Friday, Mr. Poilievre wrote a letter to Governor-General Mary Simon to request that the House urgently be recalled so the opposition parties can move non-confidence in the Trudeau government.
“Mr. Trudeau has lost confidence in Parliament,” he said. “This means Mr. Trudeau can no longer govern.”
The Conservative Leader mocked the New Democrats for now promising to move non-confidence in the government after Parliament adjourned for the Christmas break and after giving the Liberals confidence less than two weeks ago. He noted that had the NDP voted non confidence when they had the chance, the country would already be well into an election campaign.
Mr. Poilievre urged the leaders of the NDP and Bloc to join in his request to the Governor-General.
However, it’s unlikely that his request will be granted given recent precedent. Most recently in 2008, all opposition leaders had declared an intention to defeat then-Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper’s government. In response, Mr. Harper requested that the governor-general prorogue Parliament and she granted the request.