NDP's Singh drops 'I'm running for prime minister' messaging two weeks into the campaign

David Thurton · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 06, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

As Jagmeet Singh heads into his 3rd week of campaigning, the NDP person is dropping his assertive messaging that helium is moving to beryllium premier minister. 

Singh is nary longer explicitly repeating the enactment astatine quality conferences.

On Wednesday and Friday, CBC News asked Singh if helium was inactive moving for the country's apical governmental job. 

Without straight answering, helium invoked the past 2 number Parliaments, wherever New Democrats utilized their presumption to propulsion for things helium said the Liberals different would not do.

"Everything that the Liberals are pointing to, each the things they are saying that they achieved, virtually would not person happened but for us," Singh said. "These are each things that we forced them to do."

Singh said his enactment pressured the Liberals to instrumentality pharmacare, dental care, authorities banning replacement workers, and 2 weeks' paid sick permission for workers successful federally regulated workplaces.

He past made the transportation for electing much New Democrats, having proven what the left-of-centre enactment could bash with astir 2 twelve MPs. 

"So if you elite capable of us, elite much of us, we're gonna bash large enactment for you," Singh said successful Winnipeg connected Wednesday.

WATCH | Singh defends displacement successful connection astir becoming premier minister:

Singh inactive hasn't conceded defeat

At the aforesaid time, Singh did not concede decision nor adjacent the doorway connected forming a government.

Asked arsenic precocious arsenic past Saturday, Singh said helium "is running" to beryllium premier minister. The adjacent day, erstwhile asked again, helium amended his response: "I would beryllium honoured to service arsenic premier minister, and I'll combat each azygous time to marque definite people's lives are better," helium said astatine an announcement successful Port Moody, B.C. connected March 30. 

Along with the connection change, Singh has besides opened the doorway to moving with the Liberals if they signifier authorities —while making it wide with whom helium would not work. 

"I don't privation to presuppose the result of the election, but I tin archer you 1 happening precise clearly: New Democrats, myself arsenic leader, volition ne'er enactment Pierre Poilievre arsenic premier minister," helium said past Saturday successful Ottawa. 

Singh's caller connection way is simply a subtle acknowledgement of wherever things are with voters, who polls suggest have lined up solidly down the Liberals, past the Conservatives. CBC's Poll Tracker aggregates the starring nationalist national sentiment polls. Its spot modelling connected Friday suggests the New Democrats could beryllium connected way to suffer astir of their seats, winning up to nine as of April 4; they presently clasp 24. 

It could besides beryllium seen arsenic an effort by Singh to scope retired to orangish voters who've perchance swung to different parties, and who spot this predetermination arsenic a binary prime betwixt the Conservatives and the Liberals. To them, Singh is making the lawsuit that a ballot for the NDP would not beryllium successful vain. 

It makes consciousness that the enactment mightiness beryllium making a antithetic transportation to voters, according to Karl Bélanger, a erstwhile main caput to erstwhile NDP person Tom Mulcair, and present caput of Traxxion Strategies.

"Everybody has seen the canvass and the question successful the electorate," said Bélanger. "So by pitching a connection that is much focused connected what [a] sizeable contingent of NDP MPs tin bash and however they tin support successful cheque a imaginable bulk Liberal government, you are giving a crushed for New Democrats to beryllium elected."

Leader hits retired astatine canvass aggregators 

Singh's erstwhile communications director, Mélanie Richer, said New Democrats are besides telling Canadians they'd be better disconnected with a number government.

She adds that with the expanding likelihood of a Liberal bulk government, alleged progressive voters could spot little of a request to ballot strategically to forestall the Conservatives from coming to power. 

WATCH | How the NDP's messaging has changed: 

"When we're seeing that benignant of bulk territory for the Liberals, that's wherever we spot radical springiness themselves support to ballot for the idiosyncratic they want," Richer said. "So we spot folks determination successful Toronto, and places similar Montreal ballot for the things they privation to marque happen, and that is wherever we spot much NDP travel into the mix."

As for Singh, portion helium whitethorn not beryllium truthful emboldened anymore to directly accidental that he's moving for premier minister, he's made it wide he's assured his enactment is not connected way for full annihilation. 

On Friday successful Montreal, helium dismissed polling aggregators, successful 1 of his sharpest rebukes of the modelling. 

"These aggregators were massively wrong," Singh said astir poll modelling successful the past, though helium didn't supply examples. "So I'm not disquieted astir what aggregators say.

"I'm disquieted astir what's going connected successful our country."