Singh says NDP expects snap election call if Carney wins Liberal leadership

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he doesn’t think he’ll have to chose between voting on tariff relief or bringing down the government because he expects a snap election call if Mark Carney wins the Liberal leadership.

Singh says that if the government was serious about introducing a relief package for workers who might lose their jobs due to U.S. tariffs, it would have recalled Parliament by now.

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At a news conference in Vancouver yesterday, Carney would not rule out calling a snap election if he becomes Liberal leader.

Jennifer Howard, the NDP’s national campaign director, sent a memo to candidates and staff earlier this week saying they should be prepared for an election call as soon as March 10, one day after the Liberal leadership vote.

The NDP has around 140 candidates and Singh says the party will be ready to fight an election campaign when it begins.

Part of that fight includes the NDP’s pledge to remove the GST from “essentials” like home heating, cell phone services, grab-and-go grocery items, diapers and children’s clothes, Singh says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2025

David Baxter, The Canadian Press