Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his Liberal Party has reached an agreement with the opposition New Democratic Party that would keep his party in power until 2025.
“What this means is during this uncertain time the government can function with predictability and stability, present and implement budgets and get things done for Canadians,” Mr Trudeau said.
The Liberal Party won re-election in September but failed to win a majority of seats in parliament, and must rely on the opposition to pass legislation.
The leftist NDP party will support Mr Trudeau’s Liberals in exchange for deals on pharmaceutical and dental care plans, but it will not have a member in the Trudeau cabinet.
“We’ve agreed to work together,” Mr Trudeau said. “It’s about focusing on what we agree on instead of what we disagree on.”
HAPPENING NOW: I’m giving an update on how we’re going to continue delivering results for Canadians: https://t.co/JEvV0sJF8S
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 22, 2022
Anti-vaccine protesters and truckers who laid siege to parts of Ottawa, the capital, called for Mr Trudeau’s government to be ousted earlier this year.
In theory, Mr Trudeau could run again when the next election is held, which must be by 2025.
But there are widespread doubts that he will do so, given that he would have been in power for 10 years, has seen a drop in his popularity and a rise in animosity towards him in much of western Canada.
Mr Trudeau is still remembered for evoking the prospect of “sunny ways” when he took office in 2015 at age 43, the second-youngest Canadian prime minister ever.
There have been setbacks since then, but he has been re-elected twice.
Mr Trudeau has channelled the star power – if not quite the political heft – of his father, Pierre Trudeau, who swept to power in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed “Trudeaumania”.
Pierre Trudeau, who was prime minister until 1984 with a short interruption, remains one of the few Canadian politicians known in America, his charisma often drawing comparisons to John F Kennedy.
