NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has kept the government afloat long enough to get his pension.
Tuesday marks six years since Singh was elected to the House of Commons, making him eligible for the multimillion-dollar retirement payout.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation previously estimated that if Singh took his pension early at 55 and lived until he was 90, taxpayers would be on the hook for $2.3 million.
The Conservative Party of Canada previously launched a countdown clock for when Singh would qualify for his pension. The clock is no longer counting down the days, but rather the hours, until Singh qualifies for his pension on Feb. 25.
Singh was elected in a by-election in February of 2019, giving him an earlier pension eligibility date than members of Parliament elected for the first time in that year’s October election.
The Conservatives have continuously accused Singh of keeping the Liberal government afloat through various non-confidence motions because of self-interest. In December, Singh for the first time signalled his intention to vote against the government – but only in the new year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament before he announced his intention to resign as Liberal leader and prime minister to give his party time to find a replacement. Parliament is set to reconvene Mar. 24.
Singh could have been paid his pension in advance if he agreed to call an early election after Calgary businessman Brett Wilson said he would secure private funding for Singh. The NDP leader didn’t take him up on the offer.
During an exclusive interview with True North, Wilson revealed that he would pay the pension himself as an investment in Canada. However, he said many people asked if they could participate as well.
“Jagmeet’s doing nothing for Canada now, so when he leaves, he’ll be doing nothing for Canada. But more importantly, the fact that we can call an election and the odds of Trudeau getting re-elected are slim to nil,” said Wilson. “But more importantly, let’s let the people of Canada call the shots.”
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer said that if Singh hadn’t propped up the Liberals following his dramatic ripping up of his supply-and-confidence agreement, the tariffs could have been avoided.
Deputy House leader Luc Berthold made a similar criticism.
“There’s no doubt that if Jagmeet Singh had done so earlier this fall, if he had backed up his words with action, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” said Berthold. “But unfortunately, he wanted to wait until February for his pension. He’s got it now. He was ready to vote for our (non-) confidence. Justin Trudeau has found a way out, and unfortunately, it’s Canadians who are going to pay the price.”
Following Singh’s “ripping up” of the supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, he voted confidence in Trudeau 11 times. Since the 2021 election, the NDP has voted confidence in the government 286 times.
A recent Abacus poll showed that the Conservatives would form a clear majority government despite the Liberals gaining some support amid the party’s leadership shuffle. The NDP, however, has been bleeding support.
Per 338Canada’s most recent seat distribution projections on Sunday, the Conservatives would form a majority government with 177 seats, followed by the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois. The NDP would win only 11 seats, in fourth place behind the Bloc’s 33 seats.
Singh is polling at third place own riding, Burnaby South — which will be replaced by Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby in the next federal election. In 338Canada’s most recent projections, the NDP have a less than 1% chance of winning the riding.