The NDP-Liberal deal is no more — here's what could happen next

So the answer to the question of how much longer the Liberal-NDP deal would last turned out to be «not much.»

«Today, I notified the prime minister that I have ripped up the supply-and-confidence agreement,» NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced in a pre-recorded video posted online Wednesday afternoon.

The deal signed by the Liberals and New Democrats in March 2022 promised that there would be «no surprises» between the two parties. When it came time to end the deal, the government got little advance warning — Singh emailed the prime minister about an hour before the NDP leader's message became public.

«I really hope the NDP stays focused on how we can deliver for Canadians, as we have over the last years, rather than focusing on politics,» Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later told a news conference in Newfoundland, where he was announcing the first federal-provincial deal to support school nutrition programs.

Officially, the historic deal between the Liberals and NDP was supposed to last until June 2025. But it may have been nearing the end of its natural life expectancy.

A similar deal signed between the NDP and Greens in British Columbia in 2017 lasted a little over three years. A deal between the Ontario Liberals and NDP signed in 1985 was in place for two years. This agreement lasted roughly two and a half years.

It might be simply too hard to sustain a parliamentary accord much longer than that in Canada's current political environment. And Singh's announcement shouldn't come as a complete surprise.

Why did the NDP walk away?

In announcing his party's withdrawal, Singh actually said little about the agreement itself and offered no real explanation for his decision to walk away now. In his letter to the prime minister, Singh