NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says that the NDP and the Liberals don’t agree on the type of pharmacare program that should be implemented, but he says that the NDP believes a compromise is in reach.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday his party’s deal to prop up the minority Liberals will be off if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government doesn’t meet the deadline to introduce long-promised pharmacare legislation.
However, the New Democrat wouldn’t rule out still supporting the government on confidence votes, such as the budget, even if the two parties no longer have a formal deal.
Mr. Singh spoke to reporters in the House of Commons before meeting with Mr. Trudeau for the two leaders’ quarterly meetings, scheduled as part of the formal supply-and-confidence deal that has given the Liberals a stable minority government since March, 2022.
As part of the deal, the Liberals agreed to “continuing progress” toward a universal national pharmacare program by passing a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023. However, the NDP agreed to extend the deadline until March 1 after the fourth-place party rejected an early draft of the bill to give the two sides more time to agree on the contents of the new legislation.
If the Liberals miss the revised deadline for pharmacare legislation, Mr. Singh said it would amount to the government “breaking the deal.”
The government was careful Monday not to disclose the status of the legislation and didn’t answer The Globe’s question on whether it will be ready by March 1.
In Question Period, Health Minister Mark Holland said the government is still working on the new bill. “I look forward to continuing those conversations,” he said.
Since last year, senior Liberals have consistently told The Globe that the government understands the need to keep the deal in tact to avoid an election, The agreement is expected to keep the Liberals in power until 2025.
Mr. Singh told reporters that the two parties don’t agree on the type of pharmacare program that should be implemented, but he added that the NDP believes a compromise is in reach.
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Late last year, a source with direct knowledge of the Liberal-NDP negotiations said a national pharmacare program is not an option because of the massive cost of a universal, single-payer drug insurance plan, which would shift the financial burden from employers and people with private plans to the government.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Government officials have conducted various cost analyses that show it would be prohibitively expensive and the best approach is to provide coverage for a set number of drugs, such as those used by people with diabetes, the source said.
The NDP has won major concessions from the government on a range of issues – from anti-scab labour legislation to dental care and the GST rebate. However, it is also under sustained attack from the Conservatives, which alternately calls the NDP-Liberal deal a “costly coalition” or the “cover-up coalition.”
On Monday, the Conservatives accused Mr. Singh of keeping the government in place until he can qualify for an MP’s pension.
The NDP Leader rejected the suggestion, saying his party is using the power that voters gave them to force the Liberals to deliver policies they previously rejected, like dental care.
“Canadians elected us in this minority government, that was not our choice, I would rather have been prime minister,” Mr. Singh said. “I respect what Canadians chose and I’m using my power to get people the help that they need.”
The NDP should expect more and tougher attacks from the Conservatives as the year goes on, said Kathleen Monk, a former director of communications for the late Jack Layton and president of Monk + Associates. She said the party needs to make sure that it is getting the credit for the policy wins that it is eking out.
Given the Liberal’s low popularity, Ms. Monk said the NDP have a significant opportunity to make the case to voters that they have more than two options on the next federal ballot.
“Not just red door or blue door, choose orange door,” she said.