Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looked to have secured his immediate political future on Wednesday when the leader of a smaller party dismissed efforts to bring down the minority Liberal government.
The Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois, the two largest opposition parties, aim to topple the unpopular Trudeau after nine years in power. To succeed, they need the support of the New Democrats, whose leader Jagmeet Singh said he had no interest in the idea.
"I will not let the Bloc or... (the Conservatives) decide when we are going to trigger an election," he told reporters. "I'm not going to play their games."
Polls show both the New Democrats and Liberals would perform poorly in an election that must be held by late October 2025. Surveys of public opinion regularly show the Conservatives are on track for a big win.
Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said on Tuesday he was working to bring down Trudeau.
In return for backing Trudeau, the Bloc wanted more money for seniors and a promise to safeguard a system of tariffs and quotas that protects dairy, poultry and egg farmers, many of whom live in Quebec. Blanchet said Trudeau had not acted in time.