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Burnaby South MP Jagmeet Singh congratulates Carney on leadership win

It's uncertain if Singh will still table a non-confidence vote when Parliament returns.
Jess Balzer
Jess Balzer
jagmeet-march-2024
NDP leader and Burnaby South MP Jagmeet Singh.JANIS CLEUGH/THE TRI-CITY NEWS

After Mark Carney's decisive win in the Liberal leadership race, Burnaby MP and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued his congratulations, but there could still be a major shakeup when Parliament returns. 

The new Liberal leader and soon-to-be prime minister received 131,674 out of 151,899 votes, equating to 85.9 per cent. 

The closest challenger was former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystina Freeland, who received just 11,134 votes, which was eight per cent of the total vote.

Freeland's shocking resignation in December set off a political storm on Parliament Hill, forcing Justin Trudeau to make a decision about his immediate future. 

After Freeland's announcement on Dec. 16, Singh followed up with an announcement of his own four days later, saying the NDP would be tabling a non-confidence vote when Parliament returned. 

On Jan. 6, Trudeau announced he would be stepping down as leader of the Liberals, setting the stage for an internal leadership race.

Despite Trudeau's resignation, Singh also said on Dec. 20 that his party would bring down the Liberal government, even with a new leader. 

"The Trudeau Liberals said a lot of the right things. Then they let people down again and again," he said.

"The Liberals don't deserve another chance. That's why the NDP will vote to bring this government down and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them. No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government's time is up." 

After the March 9 leadership announcement, Singh congratulated Carney, but made no mention of a non-confidence vote. 

"I want to congratulate Mark Carney on becoming leader of the Liberal party," Singh wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

"Canadians are counting on their political leaders to fight for them in these challenging times. 

"To stand up for a Canada where we take care of each other. 

"We will disagree on many ideas, priorities and policies — but we should always stand united in protecting our country from the threat posed by Donald Trump."