NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh walks through the crowd on his way to the stage at the NDP convention in Hamilton, Ont., on Oct. 14.Peter Power/The Canadian Press
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has emerged from a policy convention hoping to convince Canadians that his party is the only one that truly fights for ordinary people – but his own support with the rank and file, while strong, appears to be slipping.
In his keynote address on Saturday in Hamilton, Mr. Singh painted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as not truly understanding affordability worries because he’s lived a life of privilege, and portrayed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as opportunistically trying to profit from those anxieties. The NDP believes that profound voter fatigue with the Liberals opens up a big opportunity, so they are aimed squarely at the Tories as their competition.
“People get angry when they see how hard it is for them to get by while others are living better than ever. Justin Trudeau wants to ignore your anger. And what Pierre Poilievre wants to do is use your anger to divide our country,” Mr. Singh said in his speech to delegates.
“But when I talk to people who are angry about the cost of living, it makes me want to work harder for them, and to make Ottawa work for them instead of the rich and powerful.”
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When the secret ballots for the review of Mr. Singh’s leadership were counted a short time later, 81 per cent of members present gave him a thumbs-up – showing some flagging enthusiasm after three consecutive elections in which the party failed to gain ground. He previously received 87 per cent endorsement in 2021 and 91 per cent in 2018 as a new leader.
In a news conference shortly after, reporters asked Mr. Singh repeatedly what message he took from the result and how much restlessness or dissatisfaction it signalled. In fine euphemistic politician fashion, he painted his declining popularity as a byproduct of New Democrats who “always want more” by nature.
“What I’ve received is a strong mandate, but also a clear message that New Democrats want us to do more,” he said, highlighting help with the cost of living, groceries and housing as the top concerns.
“They want to see us use our power to get more done to give people a break from all the pressures that they’re feeling. And I agree, so I’m gonna use this as inspiration to get out there and fight for more for Canadians.”
Indeed, there is some frustration simmering that Mr. Singh has not extracted enough action on NDP priorities in exchange for propping up the minority Liberal government after the two parties signed a supply-and-confidence agreement in early 2022.
According to that agreement, New Democrats would vote with the government on confidence matters until the next federal election in 2025. And while NDP policies such as dental care has been partially implemented, concrete progress on other files has been limited.
One motion unanimously passed at the weekend convention in Hamilton called for the party to “publicly declare that continued confidence and supply is contingent on government legislation that clearly commits to a universal, comprehensive and entirely public pharmacare program.” While the resolution is not binding, given the enthusiasm for it, it appears to be an ultimatum not just for the Liberals but for Mr. Singh, too.
Christopher Neudorf, a delegate from Grey Bruce north of Toronto, declined to discuss his own leadership vote, but said he values Mr. Singh’s charisma and ability to connect with people through a warmth and authenticity the other party leaders don’t have. At the same time, he perceives that many at the convention feel, as he does, that it’s time for the NDP to get more out of their deal with the government.
“I’m looking forward to the Liberals giving a little more back for our support,” Mr. Neudorf said. “Because we are a different party and we do have different values, and we do have values we want to see them follow through with.”
Barry Weisleder, president of the NDP’s Socialist Caucus, is more pointed in his own assessment of Mr. Singh.
“I think his leadership leaves a lot to be desired,” he said, from just outside the convention hall on Sunday, where his group had moved their table after having their credentials revoked for joining a pro-Palestinian protest that interrupted the convention the previous day.
He sees a raft of problems with the supply-and-confidence agreement because of what it compels the NDP to implicitly sign off on that run counter to the party’s values.
“The NDP, by backing the Liberal minority government, is constrained to support every budget introduced by the Liberals in Parliament,” Mr. Weisleder said. “And that includes the war spending, it includes subsidies to big oil and gas, it includes not passing anti-scab legislation and other provisions. We still don’t have the legislation for dental care, and we certainly don’t have anything with regard to pharmacare.”
To him, the agreement itself is a problem, but it would be harder to argue against it if his party were extracting more to make the concession worth swallowing.
“It’s actually rather easy to argue against it, because there’s very little to show.”