Jagmeet Dumps Trudeau: Canada’s Dysfunctional Political Relationship Unravels

After 897 days of propping up Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh finally cuts ties. But will this move actually change anything, or is it just political theater?

It's been a rough year for Canada's first Prime Minister of Colour. First, his wife Sophie dumped him, and now his political boyfriend, Jagmeet Singh, has done the same. And things aren’t looking up for Trudeau anytime soon. Given the opportunity, Canadian voters might just dump him next, ending their relationship with a man once thought charismatic, but proven to be nothing more than a narcissistic dictator.

But Trudeau's personal problems are nothing compared to the problems he's created for the people he rules over. Canadians are flooding food banks, youth are abandoning any hope of homeownership, and foreign workers are edging them out of the job market. Meanwhile, organized crime has corrupted our institutions and is terrorizing our neighborhoods. To top it off, we’re still paying the salaries of MPs who’ve been outed as traitors. All of these symptoms stem from one problem: the citizens of Canada have been trapped in an abusive relationship with a wannabe tyrant. However, an unexpected turn has given the citizens of Canada a glimmer of light at the end of this bleak tunnel.

After 897 days of enabling Trudeau’s reign by handing him a majority through the "supply-and-confidence agreement," Jagmeet Singh has finally terminated the Liberal-NDP coalition.

There are several ways this could play out.

One possibility is that Singh thinks he has a chance to take second place in the next election, a feat the NDP has never achieved. Based on Angus Reid polling models, the NDP could snag 42 seats, a gain of 17, while the Liberals would plummet to 39, losing 121 seats. Maybe Singh is eyeing this as his moment to make history—leading the NDP to its first victory over the Liberals. However, polls are notoriously unreliable and some even have the Bloc projected to edge out the NDP for the second most seats.

Alternatively, this might just be Singh scrambling to shake off some of the heat he and his party have taken for propping up Trudeau. With 38% of Canadians viewing him as the worst recent Prime Minister, the Trudeau name is sinking fast and anyone still politically tethered to it is bound to drown. It’s hard to imagine even a die-hard CBC viewer can watch Singh criticize Trudeau, while keeping him in power, without cringing. Singh might just be trying to create some distance between himself and the man who’s become a national joke, despite having no real intentions of dethroning him.

If the latter is true, then Canadians are still stuck with Trudeau until October 2025. A lot will ride on whether Singh suddenly discovers what it means to be in opposition. If this is a sign that Singh’s crumbling spine is finally straightening, Trudeau’s government might be rendered useless for the remainder of its term. Although pretending to sever ties while continuing to vote alongside the Liberals in Parliament would be more in line with Jagmeet’s lacking character. 

Desperate to cling to power, Trudeau has already started pleading with Singh. When asked if it was time to send Canadians to the polls after being dumped by his coalition partner, Trudeau responded, “I’ll let others focus on politics, but I really hope the NDP stays focused on how we can deliver for Canadians, as we have over the past years.”

Considering that Pierre Poilievre called for Singh to end the coalition just days ago, you might expect him to cheer this move. But no, Poilievre wasn’t fooled. He called Singh’s announcement a “stunt” and slammed him for refusing to commit to a non-confidence vote.

Poilievre isn’t alone in this sentiment. One of Canada’s biggest YouTubers, J.J. McCullough, also weighed in on X, saying, “Jagmeet doesn’t have the guts to vote no-confidence and go to an election. He just wants praise for the symbolism of ‘ending an agreement’ that won’t actually change Canadian politics in any meaningful way.”

Unfortunately, Poilievre and McCullough are probably right. Even if Singh was able to brag about out-seating the Liberals (if the Bloc don’t beat him to it), it might be all for nothing. Even with a boost in seats, the NDP, along with the Bloc and Liberals, would likely be politically impotent against a projected Conservative majority.

Despite all the speculation and scenarios, this is still politics—nothing is certain. Just earlier this week, on the Blendr Report, Jonathan and I were discussing the likelihood of a Liberal-NDP merger to block the Conservatives in 2025. While Singh’s abrupt move caught us off guard, time will tell if this split actually means anything or if it’s just more political smoke and mirrors.