(Ottawa) The NDP maintains its support for the Trudeau government, which has decided to resort to Emergency Measures Act to end the illegal occupation of downtown Ottawa and prevent further blockades at border crossings.
Posted at 1:38 p.m.
The leader of the NDP, Jagmeet Singh, thus confirmed that his troops will vote Monday evening in the House of Commons in favor of the motion which allows the application of this exceptional measure. Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are in the minority in the Commons. They need the support of one of the three recognized opposition parties to continue to enforce the Emergency Measures Act.
At a press conference, Mr. Singh however indicated that his party could withdraw its support at any time, before the end of the 30-day application period, if he judges that the situation is sufficiently under control in the country.
We are still in a crisis. Our support since the beginning of this crisis has been reluctant and our support continues to be reluctant. […] This convoy was a group that attacked our democracy and wanted to overthrow elected officials.
Jagmeet Singh, Chief of NPD
The leader of the NDP shrugged off Justin Trudeau’s decision to make Monday night’s vote a vote of confidence. A rejection of the motion would therefore result in the defeat of the Trudeau government and would cause the holding of federal elections some six months after the last ballot.
“I always understood this to be a vote of confidence,” he said.
As for the duration of the NDP’s support, Mr. Singh indicated that it will depend on the evolution of the situation. “There are still people from the convoy who are in the Ottawa area and so the threat is still there,” he said.
“We should never have been in this situation. It is the failure of the federal government, the provincial government and the municipal government if we have come to this situation because all levels of government have not taken this threat seriously,” said Mr. Singh.
That said, the NDP leader argued that the use of the Emergencies Act should not be used as a precedent to prevent legitimate protests by environmental groups or First Nations seeking to defend their rights.