strike33 Trudeau’s Hold on Power Slips After Collapse of Governing Agreement

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada may be forced into an election earlier than expected after a left-leaning political party that had been propping up his government in Parliament announced on Wednesday that it was abandoning the arrangement.strike33

Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party, said in a video that he was “tearing up” a formal agreement to support the Liberal Party. Without that support, Mr. Trudeau’s party lacks a majority of votes needed to pass legislation in the House of Commons.

It’s the latest setback for Mr. Trudeau, a political star on the global stage who has been losing the confidence of his voters at home after nine years in power. Polls show that Mr. Trudeau’s party badly lags behind the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre.

Mr. Singh’s move does not automatically force an immediate election, but it does remove the stability that came from an agreement that effectively allowed Mr. Trudeau to act as if he controlled a majority in the House of Commons.

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Under the country’s Constitution, a general election must take place by October 2026, but, in theory, Mr. Trudeau’s government could fall at any point following the return of Parliament from its summer break on Sept. 16.

One potential flashpoint could be the passage of the next budget sometime next spring or early summer. If Mr. Trudeau failed to get the critical bill through Parliament, experts said, that could lead to an early election.

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