Ford says Singh is 'just blowing smoke' and won't call early federal election
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he thinks it’s unlikely national NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will trigger an early federal election after he tore up the deal keeping Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in power last week.
“Well, as far as I'm concerned, MP Singh is just blowing smoke,” Ford said at an unrelated news conference in Prince Edward County on Monday.
Hamilton Centre MP Matthew Green has since issued a statement in response to Ford’s comment.
“That's pretty rich coming from Premier Ford who has built his entire career on the coat tails of his family’s last name and is now under criminal investigation for corruption,” said Green, the ethics critic for the NDP.
The Premier predicted that Singh will continue to prop up the Liberal minority government despite ending the supply-and-confidence agreement, which was set to expire in June 2025, in an effort to secure his pension.
“There's nothing more important to these greedy politicians then collecting a pension,” Ford said.
“I'll stand up here and apologize to all the greedy politicians if he calls the election early. But let's face it, he wants his pension. He's not going anywhere until October, let's say 20th, 2025.”
Singh, who is eligible for his pension as soon as February 2025, has denied claims that last week’s decision to rip up the deal was motivated by anything other than ending his party’s support for what he described as Trudeau’s “weak” and “selfish” Liberals.
Speaking with CTV Power Play’s Vassy Kapelos last week, Singh rejected accusations from the Conservatives that he will continue to support the Liberals on key votes to secure his pension.
“Not at all. It’s a ludicrous suggestion,” the federal NDP leader said.
“I’m obviously going to get re-elected in my riding. I’m not worried about that at all. This is a silly argument being brought by Conservatives, but it’s on purpose …”
Singh said the reason why Pierre Poilievre is raising this point is because he “wants to distract from what he wants to do.”
“He wants to destroy the dental-care program for seniors. So for your parents, your grandparents, he doesn’t think they deserve to get their teeth looked after. He wants to get rid of this entirely,” Singh charged.
“Not only that, he also wants to get rid of our universal healthcare system. He’s been very open about that. He doesn’t want to see a public healthcare system. He wants to see it entirely private. So that’s what he’s distracting from. He knows he’s lying and he knows that he’s distracting from the fact that he wants to destroy not only dental care, but our health care system as well.”
The deal between the NDP and the Liberals, which was signed in 2022, was crafted to address the former’s political priorities, including a dental care plan for low-income households.
While the deal was in place, the NDP promised not to move or vote for a non-confidence motion against the Liberals.
Now that the agreement has ended, Singh has acknowledged that an election before the fixed date of October 2025 is “more likely.”
Meanwhile, Ford continues to face questions about his own potential plans to call an early election before the fixed date of June 2026.
His refusal to stick to that date has created speculation in some political circles that he may call voters to the polls earlier to get ahead of a federal vote.
“I'll tell you, we aren’t calling an election this year, and we're going to make sure that we continue with prosperity and creating jobs and opportunities for the people of Ontario,” the Premier said on Monday.
Ford was also asked whether his government could call an election in 2025 ahead of the October date. However, he was non-committal.
“We haven't made that decision yet,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Polls close for closely watched byelections in Montreal and Winnipeg
The NDP has a slight early lead in Winnipeg while remaining in a three-way race with the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois in Montreal as ballots continue to be counted in two crucial federal byelections.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
Freeland says she is 'not going anywhere' after Conservatives call her 'phantom finance minister'
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is 'not going anywhere' when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt on Trump was near golf course for 12 hours
The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump camped outside a golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.
'Never seen anything like this': Humpback whale catches unsuspecting seal off Vancouver Island
A Vancouver Island nature photographer says he has never seen anything like what his camera captured on a recent whale-watching excursion off Victoria.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Mortgage loan rules are changing in Canada
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced changes to mortgage rules she says are aimed at helping more Canadians to purchase their first home.
First teen sentenced in Kenneth Lee case gets 15 months probation
The first teenager to be sentenced in the death of a Toronto homeless man will not face further time in custody, and instead participate in a community-based program.