'I'm not going to listen to you': Singh rejects Poilievre's push for early election, sets sights on progressive policy

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will focus on advancing progressive policies, amid renewed pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to help him bring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal minority government down when Parliament resumes next week.

It has now been one full week since Singh pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals, increasing the chances of an early election call.

Singh has not spoken to Trudeau since, telling reporters at the NDP caucus retreat in Montreal that he doesn't care to have another conversation with the political leader he spent the last two years working with.

Still, the NDP leader does not appear ready to force his former parliamentary ally to the polls.

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Party insiders insist Singh choosing not to angle for an early election doesn't mean the party isn't ready, but rather that should the time come to vote non-confidence, they want it to be on their terms, not because Poilievre has goaded Singh into it.

On Wednesday in Ottawa, Poilievre once again called on Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet to commit to voting non-confidence against the Trudeau Liberals.

"The common-sense Conservatives will put forward a non-confidence motion at the earliest possible opportunity… It's put up, or shut up, time for the NDP," Poilievre said.

Asked to respond, Singh offered no indications he's eager to trigger an election yet.

"I say directly to Pierre Poilievre, I'm not going to listen to you… I'm not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people's lives. I want to build up a brighter future," Singh said.

Asked to lay out his red lines, Singh said his caucus will only offer support to Trudeau going forward if the Liberals propose bills that they believe will benefit Canadians.

Specifically, New Democrats want to see the Liberals impose a price cap on grocery prices for essential items, such as bread and baby formula. Singh also plans to table a bill to ban corporate landlords from buying up affordable apartments, but he’ll need votes from other parties to see that legislation advance.

"Under Justin Trudeau and the Liberals, they've let these corporate landlords rip off Canadians. They've let them continue to exploit their tenants. This is wrong, and we know that Pierre Poilievre is not going to fix the problem," Singh said.

NDP MPs on priorities, election timing

Speaking on their way in to the second day of closed-door meetings, NDP MPs said they've been deep into discussion about how their caucus will approach issues in the House of Commons.

NDP House Leader Peter Julian said Wednesday that, given the newfound instability in Parliament, MPs in Montreal are talking about "what we are looking to do and accomplish in the next election."

Though he and other MPs say they're in a see-where-things-go mindset, it's their view that it'll be on the Liberals to propose policies that'll help stave-off a potential snap vote.

"We've got lots of work to do for Canadians, obviously there's a lot on people's minds," NDP MP Taylor Bachrach said.

"We're going to work for more wins for Canadians. This has been an historic minority Parliament. We've gotten a lot of work done for people… And we're going to try to build on [that]."

Asked when he thinks the next election should come, Bachrach said he's heard from constituents who want one right away, while others are fine to wait until the next fixed election date in October 2025.

"I think it's going to depend on the government. It's going to depend on what bills they bring forward," he said.

Members of Singh's caucus have also said that getting out of the two-party pact — which secured government action on progressive policies in exchange for propping up Trudeau's grip on power — has actually given them more leverage.

But, with Blanchet signalling the 32-member Bloc Québécois caucus is ready to take back the role of Liberal dance partner and hold the balance of power in the House in exchange for action on a list of demands, Trudeau may have options this fall.

On Wednesday, Trudeau spoke to reporters as the Liberal caucus retreat wrapped in Nanaimo, B.C. — and ahead of the return to the capital under traditional minority Parliament dynamics — insisting that despite the persistent chatter about the viability of his continued leadership, his team is fixated on supporting Canadians.

"All of us are focused on what to do to make sure that Canadians … are feeling confident about the future … that we're doing the kinds of things that are actually putting the strongest balance sheet in the G7 in service of Canadians," he said.

"That's what we're focused on, and that's how we're going to get Canadians through this difficult moment."