NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday he would “absolutely” go to the polls over the issue of housing — but his team says his comments should not be taken as a threat to end the party’s confidence and supply agreement with the Liberals.
During a press conference about the ongoing rental market crisis in Hamilton, Singh was asked by a reporter if the party was “willing to go to the polls over housing.”
“Absolutely, we think one of the major issues impacting our country right now is finding a place to call home, finding a place you can afford to rent, to find a place that you can call your own,” he said.
“That is a major problem and what we’ve seen is people are really precarious, they’re living paycheque to paycheque and they’re worried they’re not going to be able to afford their rent.
“That’s something I want all Canadians to have … and we will absolutely go to the polls on this.”
The comments came after a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found the pressure from higher interest rates and a lack of affordable housing meant renters living on minimum wage in almost every neighbourhood across Canada were falling behind.
But an NDP official speaking on background said Singh’s words should not be seen as a political threat to end the supply-and-confidence deal with the government.
The official said the party is trying to press the Liberal government to take action on the housing issues facing Canadians rather than taking a wait-and-see approach they say appears to be the government’s current stance.
If there were to be an election, the NDP official said the party would make housing a major focus of any campaign, and said the issue would be a focus for the party this summer.
Over the past few months, Singh has faced questions over whether the NDP would force an election over various issues, including the government’s handling of foreign interference.
He said in June that the party would not trigger an election over the issue, but earlier in the year said he wasn’t ruling out making a public inquiry a condition for his party’s continued support.
He said in January that the government not following through on presenting a pharmacare bill could also break the governance deal.
Discussions are still ongoing about a potential public inquiry into foreign interference but following the Bank of Canada’s latest interest rate hike this week, Singh signalled housing is the current focus for the NDP.
He said there is more work to be done by the government to ensure Canadians can have a home and feel safe in their community.
The current agreement with the two parties was established in early 2022 and sees the NDP support the Liberals on confidence votes until 2025, in exchange for progress on various files, including national pharmacare and dental care.
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