New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh speaks with reporters before attending Question Period, in Ottawa on Oct. 19.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will likely continue to keep the Liberals in power even if an inquiry finds the federal government was not justified in its February decision to invoke the Emergencies Act.
Mr. Singh said on CTV’s Question Period Sunday that if something comes out in the findings of the Public Order Emergency Commission that his party did not imagine or anticipate, then they will reserve their judgment but that “simply because it was the wrong decision wouldn’t be enough for us to break or to force the country into an election.”
The POEC, which has so far completed the first of six weeks of hearings, is meant to examine whether the federal government met the requirements for invoking the act to put an end to three weeks of chaotic protests against COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa, which brought the downtown area to a halt.
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In March, the Liberal government reached a deal with the NDP whereby the Liberals are set to maintain support for the next three years in exchange for parliamentary co-operation and progress on key NDP policies such as an income-based dental care program, national pharmacare and other issues such as housing and climate change.
Mr. Singh said in the interview Sunday that so far, the New Democrats have been forcing the federal government to “get help to people, to give respect to people, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.” However, he suggested that could change depending on how things unfold in the inquiry.
“At any point in time, based on any discovery, whether it’s from information that comes out of the inquiry, or based on actions as it relates to what we force the government to do. We always have the right to withdraw support.”
Critics of the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the act say it granted officials emergency powers that were much broader than required. The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois were opposed to its use, while the NDP was supportive.
But Mr. Singh said his party wants to know whether it was the only option.
“We’re going to continue to support full transparency and a very thorough investigation into the utilization of the act and how things could have been prevented.”
The POEC, led by Justice Paul Rouleau, heard testimony last week about dysfunction in the Ottawa police from several law-enforcement leaders. The witnesses have said the service was overwhelmed during the protests and that its leader, former police chief Peter Sloly, appeared unwilling to share power with other police services. The Ottawa police planned for a two-day protest even though they had intelligence that the event could last much longer, according to evidence.
On Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said there has been no proof the federal government needed to use the act. He told CityNews Ottawa he heard “nothing at all” during the hearings to validate its use.
Carson Pardy, who retired several weeks ago as Ontario Provincial Police chief superintendent, testified Friday that the act was not needed to end the protests. He said while it helped in some ways, it was not necessary because officers already had the authority to tow and seize vehicles and prevent people from going into the protest zone.