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Singh says NDP would form coalition with Liberals to stop Tories

An NDP-Liberal coalition?

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Sunday he will do "whatever it takes" to keep the Conservatives from assuming power, including forming a coalition government with Justin Trudeau's Liberals.

Singh was in a Liberal-held riding Sunday afternoon in Surrey, B.C., where he was pressed about his post-election intentions amid increasing rhetoric from Trudeau that voting Liberal is the only way centre-left voters can avoid making Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer prime minister.

With just eight days to go before the final votes are cast, the race is seemingly tighter than ever. Support for the NDP and Bloc Quebecois is continuing to tick upwards, keeping both the Liberals and Conservatives from pulling ahead into first place.

Singh is attempting to neutralize the Liberal fear factor by promising that even if Scheer's Conservatives end up winning the most seats but not a majority, the NDP would "absolutely" work with the Liberals, Bloc and Green party on a coalition government.

"We're not going to support a Conservative government," Singh said. "We're going to fight a Conservative government, we're going to fight it all the way. We're ready to do whatever it takes."

Trudeau — who is hoping to nab another electoral victory by pulling most centre-left voters into his camp like he did in 2015 — campaigned in Toronto and the surrounding 905-region Sunday. He said history has made clear that voting for the NDP can't stop Conservatives.

"We've seen what happens in places like Ontario," he said. "The NDP wasn't able to stop Doug Ford. The NDP wasn't able to stop Stephen Harper. If you want to stop Conservative cuts you have to elect a progressive government, not a progressive opposition."

Conservative spokesman Simon Jefferies said the Conservatives are not being negative.

"The Conservative campaign has been positively sharing our plan to put more money in the pockets of Canadians so they can get ahead," he said in a written statement. "We have also been reminding voters about Justin Trudeau's record and explaining how he will continue to make life more expensive if re-elected.

Earlier this week, Singh laid out the six conditions he would have to support a minority government including climate change action, national pharmacare, interest free student loans, cuts to cell phone bills and investments in affordable housing, as well as a new tax on the "ultra-rich."

Scheer — who was taking a day off to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family Sunday — is making his final week's push an effort to show voters comfortable with the idea of a Conservative government. After unveiling his full platform Friday, Scheer is now turning attention to detailing what the first 100 days of his prime ministership would look like.



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