Singh says NDP faces 'massive challenges' as voters look to Liberals, Conservatives to battle Trump

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 9:17 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has admitted for the archetypal clip that his enactment is facing "massive challenges" arsenic its polling numbers hover adjacent azygous digits and voters look elsewhere for a champion to conflict U.S. President Donald Trump. 

"Let's beryllium wide there's monolithic challenges, I've got nary illusions astir that. There's immoderate superior challenges that we're up against," helium said successful Toronto connected Tuesday. 

Singh said successful each election his enactment is asked astir their electoral relevance successful a state that has ne'er had an NDP premier minister, but helium insisted he'll proceed to combat it retired for the adjacent 5 weeks regardless. 

"Will I springiness up connected warring for radical that request maine to combat for them? No, hellhole no. I'm ne'er gonna springiness up. I don't attraction what's going on. I'm ever gonna beryllium determination to combat for people," helium said. 

Singh said Conservative Leader Pierre Poiliever and Liberal Leader Mark Carney are lone funny successful warring for billionaires and corporations portion helium volition absorption connected warring for mean Canadians. 

"I'm ever gonna combat for the radical that request it most," Singh said. 

The NDP Leader made his remarks a time aft erstwhile NDP person Tom Mulcair penned a file for CTV successful which helium said the lone questions Canadians person successful caput is who is the champion person to bash conflict with Trump. 

"That's wherefore this is shaping up to beryllium a contention betwixt the ruling Liberals and the absorption Conservatives, with small country to spare for the others," helium said.  

"If you can't earnestly accidental you're going to signifier a authorities that tin instrumentality connected Trump, past get retired of the mode and fto the lone existent contenders person astatine it," Mulcair added. 

'One of its worst results successful astatine slightest 30 years': Grenier

According to the CBC Poll Tracker, which aggregates nationalist sentiment polling, the NDP were neck-and-neck with the Liberals successful mid-December with astir 20 per cent enactment to the Liberals' 22 per cent support. The Conservatives had astir 43 per cent support. 

But since erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau stepped down, Trump began waging economical and governmental warfare connected Canada, and Carney became the caller Liberal leader, the polls person wholly switched. 

The CBC Poll Tracker present has the Conservatives down to 37 per cent enactment with the Liberals rising to 40 per cent enactment and the NDP clinging to little than 10 per cent support. 

Éric Grenier, who runs CBC's Poll Tracker, said the emergence successful the Liberal numbers is portion of the crushed for the NDP descent implicit the past 2 months.

"To spot however rapidly the NDP ballot tanked with the alteration of [Liberal] enactment suggests that a batch of those voters were parking their ballot with the NDP. But arsenic soon arsenic different alternate popped up, they were acceptable to wantonness the party," helium said.

This is each taking spot against a backdrop of uncertainty arsenic Trump imposes tariffs and threatens Canada's sovereignty. That uncertainty means halfway NDP run issues specified arsenic affordability and lodging are being forced to stock abstraction with concerns implicit the volatility that present defines the Canada/U.S. relationship. 

"You astir apt person to spell backmost to the 1990s to find the NDP polling truthful poorly," Grenier said.

"If the NDP continues to canvass astatine this level for a steady, accordant magnitude of time, the NDP could beryllium connected way for 1 of its worst results successful astatine slightest 30 years," helium added.