NDP’s Singh Calls for Parliament to Immediately Return, Pass Legislation Supporting Workers

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh leaves the Prime Minister's office in the West Block after taking part in a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and fellow opposition leaders on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 3, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging Parliament to immediately resume to pass legislation aimed at supporting workers who could potentially be impacted by U.S. tariffs. He also reaffirmed his promise to vote to bring down the Liberal government in March.

Singh made the comments at an event in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 30, where he laid out his proposed plan to address the 25 percent tariff threat from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has said the tax could be enacted as soon as Feb. 1 if his border security concerns are not addressed.

The NDP leader said Parliament needs to reconvene and approve a package aimed at assisting communities throughout Canada that could be hard hit by the tariffs.

“We’re going to have these workers’ backs, and to do that, we need to have legislation in place that supports these workers,” Singh said, adding that the legislation could be “passed quickly,” similarly to the federal aid package introduced in support of Canadians at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singh also called for Ottawa to retaliate against U.S. tariffs by implementing retaliatory tariffs, changing federal procurement rules to favour Canadian companies over American ones, and explore trade opportunities with other countries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Jan. 17 that Canada would “not hesitate” to retaliate against U.S. tariffs, adding that Ottawa would support regions or industries impacted. The same day, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said an estimated $150 billion brought in from reciprocal tariffs on the United States would be used to support Canadians.

Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary Howard Lutnick told a Jan. 29 U.S. Senate hearing that Canada could first face emergency tariffs, which may be avoided if it takes action to secure its border and stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling into the United States. Ottawa introduced a $1.3 billion strategy in December focused on curbing illegal migration and trafficking across the border, and the federal government has been coordinating with the provinces on potential retaliation.

Lutnick also said Canada could be hit with a second phase of tariffs in the spring, which would come after the United States Trade Representative and Commerce departments have completed their study on using U.S. tariffs to address trade deficits with other countries.

Non-Confidence Vote

Singh repeated his promise during the press conference that he would vote non-confidence in the Liberal government when Parliament returns at the end of March.

“We’re going to have an election in the spring. Nothing changes around that,” he said. “We are going to be voting down the government in March.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Jan. 6 that he would resign once the Liberal Party chooses a new leader. The announcement came after he met with the governor general to ask that she prorogue Parliament until March 24. The Liberals will vote on and pick their new leader on March 9.

Singh said on Jan. 28 that he was open to working with the Liberals on a plan to support Canadians, but would still vote non-confidence in the Liberal government. He also said in December his party would table a non-confidence motion to bring down the Liberal government in 2025.

A successful non-confidence motion would require the support of the Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc Québécois. The Conservatives have been voting non-confidence since Parliament returned in September. The Bloc has said it would not support the Liberals after the party failed to pass two private members’ bills from the party before the end of October.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters on Jan. 28 he would not support the Liberal government in a future confidence vote.

“If the Liberals want things to become clear and want to help people, they should simply start the election sooner,” he said.