Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh is actively appealing to Canadians for a minority government.

Singh made the pitch while speaking in Ottawa Friday (April 11), after a reporter inquired about his party's "dire situation", alluding to the federal NDP's single-digit standing in various polls. Those polls currently point to the federal Liberals under Mark Carney on track toward winning a majority government with several incumbent NDP MPs at risk of losing their re-election bids. 

"You ask Canadians, 'when does Canada work best?' and I will tell you, it's when one party doesn't have all the power," he said in pointing to party's historic role in introducing national health care under Tommy Douglas. That happened under the second minority government of former Liberal prime minister Lester Pearson in the 1960s.

He also pointed to his party's role in introducing dental care, new collective bargaining and labour rights and the first steps toward a national pharmacare plan during the second minority government of former Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau. 

Singh, who is hoping to retain his seat in Metro Vancouver, repeated his appeal for a minority government multiple times, when responding to questions about his leadership, his party's failure to win votes in Greater Toronto and his appeal to be a national power broker rather than form government.

"I'm focused on the campaign in front of me and the choice in front of me and that's a very important choice," he said, when asked whether he is running in his last election. "We are up against a real scary time and in all of that, I again ask Canadians to consider who is going to fight for you...New Democrats will have your back, so send more New Democrats to Ottawa." 

Singh also listed off conditions for supporting a future Liberal minority government after having ruled out supporting federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

They include a price cap on food essentials, a ban on corporations from buying affordable homes and employment insurance improvements, so workers can afford housing and groceries at the same time.

"Right now, that's not the case," he said. 

He also accused Carney and Poilievre of wanting to make cuts to public services at the wrong time. He said Canadians are already living through difficult times, pointing to job losses in the steel, aluminum and auto sector caused by tariffs.  

"In the next budget, we can't see cuts to the things that people need," he said. "We need to see investments in our country." 

Singh made these comments after he had spoken at the Broadbent Institute鈥檚 2025 Progress Summit, a self-described progressive policy conference. He said during his speech that former NDP leader Ed Broadbent told him the federal Liberals could not be trusted and had to be forced to do the right thing. 

"Some of you might not like hearing this, but what Ed said was true," he said. "Ed understood something essential about how progress actually happens in this country...they (Liberals) only deliver when New Democrats had had the power to make them deliver." 

He made his appeal even more explicit when he talked about the importance of his party holding the balance of power. 

"When we have power, we use it to get things done, to make life better for people, because Canada works best, when New Democrats are strong and Ottawa works best, when there is somebody there to hold the powerful to account."