NDP's support for Liberal minority govt won't 'be free: warns Singh

PassingOfLegislationInNextSessionOfParliament; NDPSupport

Ottawa, Nov 14 (Canadian-Media): During the meeting of Trudeau and Singh Ottawa this morning behind closed doors, NDP  party leader Jagmeet Singh argued that besides the NDP support, the Liberals need the support of a progressive and "national" caucus for getting legislation passed in the next session of Parliament, media reports said.

Jagmeet Singh. Image credit: Twitter handle

Before their closed-door meeting began, Trudeau said he and Singh share a number of policy priorities, including tackling climate change, addressing affordability issues, working on reconciliation with Indigenous communities and pursuing a pharmacare plan.

Trudeau has been meeting with the opposition leaders prior to the new session of Parliament. He met with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet earlier in the week and will meet with Elizabeth May of the Green Party on Friday.

After  Blanchet made it clear that his goal is not working on national programs that benefit all Canadians, Singh said that Trudeau is left with two choices, he can work with NDP or the Conservatives.

Parliament is set to return Dec. 5 and the returning MPs will elect a House Speaker which would be followed by the Governor General's speech from the throne outlining the government's priorities for the session.

In the event of the speech going to vote and  if the throne speech loses the vote, it could trigger another election, or give the opposition Conservatives an opportunity to ask the Governor General for a shot at forming a government. 

When asked if his party — which has struggled with fundraising in recent years — is ready for another campaign, Singh said, "I'm ready. I'm ready any time."