Why the pharmacare deal with NDP likely means Trudeau will ...

Breadcrumb Trail Links

1. News
2. Canadian Politics
3. Canada

An NDP insider says keeping their deal alive is a way to ensure the remaining items get done and to ensure the Liberal government lives up to the promises it made

Article content

OTTAWA – A deal over pharmacare should allow for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to govern until the end of his mandate in 2025, with the NDP now focused on ensuring the Liberals’ promises come to fruition.

Health Minister Mark Holland officially introduced the pharmacare legislation in the House of Commons on Thursday. The legislation is an outline of what a pharmacare program would look like and gets started with specific coverage for contraceptives and diabetes medications.

Article content

Article content

The legislation is a major part of the supply and confidence agreement between the Liberals and NDP. Pharmacare legislation was initially supposed to be introduced before the end of 2023, but the two parties agreed to an extension until March 1.

An NDP insider, speaking on the condition they not be named, said the extension came with an understanding that there would be more drugs added to the plan. The talks were largely stalled through the middle of February and only recently did the Liberals come to the table to resolve outstanding issues, the source said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh threatened several times to end the supply and confidence deal if the Liberals didn’t meet his party’s demands for the program, specifically that it be a single-payer system, covering all Canadians regardless of means. The NDP insider said that with this settled, it now looks like the supply and confidence deal can last until 2025, but that was not certain.

“Two weeks ago I would have said it would not,” the source said.

In addition to Singh’s threats to end the deal, the NDP stopped helping the Liberals in Parliament in the past few weeks, refusing to vote to end debate on items or otherwise accelerate bills through the House of Commons. The NDP source said they believed that showed the Liberals the New Democrats were serious about moving the legislation forward. But with the deal struck, the NDP and the Liberals are co-operating again.

Article content

Article content

On Monday, as Singh celebrated pharmacare’s introduction, Liberal House leader Steven MacKinnon introduced a proposal for more extended sitting days and other measures designed to get more legislation through. With the NDP’s support that proposal was adopted Wednesday night and will allow for late-night sittings until July, end any overnight voting marathons — like one that happened in December — and generally limit the number of delay tactics available to the Opposition.

Recommended from Editorial

1. 

   John Ivison: Pharmacare bill the sad child of loveless Liberal-NDP marriage

2. 

   Tasha Kheiriddin: Trudeau brings in substandard pharmacare to stay in power

Asked about the deal this week, Singh said for him the next step is making sure the Liberals follow through on the deal.

“Now we have to make sure that things that we fought for are actually implemented. We’ve got to make sure that pharmacare goes through, we’ve got the promise. We’ve got the commitment. Now we got to see the legislation table this week. And then we’re gonna watch very carefully to see the roll out,” he said to reporters this week.

Article content

But he gave no indication that supply and confidence would be in any jeopardy between now and 2025.

“As long as we can force (Trudeau’s) government to deliver for people, as long as we can continue to make sure life is better, then we’re using our power to make life better for people. We’re going to continue to do that.”

Pharmacare was one of the last major points in the supply and confidence agreement that had yet to be resolved. Another major component of the deal, a national dental care program, is in place for some Canadians with plans to expand it to more age groups. Anti-scab or anti-replacement-worker legislation was also in the agreement and just passed second reading.

There are some items left to be completed: Election Act changes to allow for expanded voting days, a “safe long-term care” act and a homebuyer’s bills of rights are still outstanding from the terms of the original supply and confidence deal.

But the NDP insider said keeping the deal alive is a way to ensure the remaining items get done. It’s also a way to ensure the government lives up to the promises it has made. The source pointed out that dental care still needs to be expanded, whilepharmacare will need to pass followed by specific deals worked out with the provinces.

Article content

“The things we got done are not done yet,” the insider said. “We’re not Liberals. We don’t just announce things.”

Beyond the policy goals, both the Liberals and the NDP have plenty of reasons to want to keep the deal together and keep an election from happening.

A recent online survey from Abacus Data has the Liberals 17 points behind the Conservatives, a lead that large would likely reduce the Liberals to around 60 to 70 seats and give the Conservatives a 200-plus seat majority.

The NDP would fare almost as badly, based on current polls, keeping their current seat total but losing any of the leverage they have through the supply and confidence agreement.

All of those polls also indicate that housing and the cost of living are Canadians top concerns.

In several year-end interviews, the prime minister made clear he hopes to govern well into 2025 and lead his party into the next election.

MacKinnon now has an easier path to pass legislation, but he said the government won’t take anything for granted.

“We’re going to work hard for Canadians and make sure that in so doing, that we continue to enjoy the confidence of this house and fulfil the mandate and the commitments that we made in the last election.”

National Postrtumilty@postmedia.com

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Article content

Share this article in your social network