Singh won't say whether he'll help topple government

NDP leader says selfish’ PM prioritizes corporate interests over serving Canadians

- RAISA PATEL

OTTAWA Last week, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stood on a balcony in downtown Ottawa, Centre Block behind him, and recorded a video informing Canadians he was terminating his governing agreement with the minority Liberals.

The announcement wasn’t made public until more than a week later; Singh’s inner circle chose Wednesday, a day when most Canadians would be back from their summer vacations and had survived the first day of school.

That means the video was already in the can, a senior NDP source told the Star on the condition they not be named, when Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged Singh last week to scrap the deal and launch a federal campaign.

The perception that Singh would suddenly look like he was capitulating to Poilievre gave the NDP little pause, the insider said. Disappointment in Justin Trudeau was high, and it was time to go.

That’s the message Singh sought to advance Thursday during his first public remarks since he “ripped up” the parliamentary accord 10 months before it was set to expire. Speaking to reporters in Toronto, Singh delivered a searing assessment of a Liberal leader he said is too “weak,” “selfish” and beholden to corporate interests to serve Canadians.

But he repeatedly refused to say whether — or when — he would trigger the downfall of Trudeau’s minority government.

“We know that that means that an election now is more likely than before,” Singh said.