Trudeau Liberals reach deal with leftist party to govern Canada to 2025

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday a deal with a small leftist party to back his minority Liberals, allowing him to govern through 2025 and avoid snap elections after twice going to the polls in as many years.

The so-called "supply and confidence agreement" with the New Democratic Party comes six months after the last ballot that returned Trudeau, now 50, and the Liberals to power with a third mandate since 2015.

It falls short of a formal coalition, but will see the two ideologically-aligned parties vote together in the House of Commons on "common goals" in areas of taxation, health care, housing and climate change, for example.

Most minority governments in Canada have lasted an average of two years -- less than half a full term.

With the main opposition Conservatives rudderless after turfing their leader in February and a new leader to be selected only in September, a snap election isn't likely imminent.

But Trudeau told a news conference, "With so much instability around us, Canadians need stability."

"Today, I'm announcing that the Liberal Party has reached an agreement with the New Democratic Party to deliver results for Canadians now," he said.

Trudeau said the two parties "are aligned on broad themes" and agreed to work together in "key policy areas where we share similar objectives."

Their combined 184 seats out of 338 in the lower house gives them a slim majority.

The first major test of their new partnership will probably be the federal budget, which is scheduled to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, which is ranked fourth in parliament, said the global pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have, among other things, made the world "less secure."

"In these highly uncertain and difficult times, Canadians expect us to come together and get to work to help make their lives better," Singh said in a statement.

"Politics is supposed to be adversarial," he added, "but no one benefits when increasing polarization and parliamentary dysfunction stand in the way of delivering these results for Canadians."

Interim Tory leader Candice Bergen, meanwhile, slammed the Liberal-NDP tie-up as "a callous attempt by Trudeau to hold on to power" and "backdoor socialism."

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