Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Singh threatens to end political pact

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 07 Feb, 2024 05:03 PM
  • Singh threatens to end political pact

If the government doesn't make good on pharmacare legislation by March, that would kill the Liberal-NDP political pact, New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday.

But he made it clear that any collapse in the deal, which is meant to hold off a federal election until next year, would be the Liberals' fault.

Singh has been talking tough this week about the looming deadline to table a bill, and met with the prime minister Monday to lay out his expectations. 

"It was a tough meeting," he said. "I made it clear that this is something we're very serious about. We're not going to extend this any further."

Reporters lobbed questions at Singh Wednesday about what consequences he's willing to bring down on the Liberals.

He said if the government doesn't deliver a bill by March 1, that would mean the Liberals are turning their backs on the parties' agreement.

The deal originally said a bill should be passed by the end of 2023, but after months of negotiation over what the legislation should say, the two parties punted the due date.

The Liberals and the NDP originally struck their deal in 2022, months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected with a minority mandate for a second time in a row. 

In the so-called supply-and-confidence agreement, the NDP promised to support the minority government on key votes in exchange for movement on shared priorities, including pharmacare.

The agreement only calls for "progress toward a universal national pharmacare program," and offers no other specifics.

Singh told reporters Wednesday that the parties have fundamental differences of opinion about how that should actually work. 

The NDP is looking to see legislation that would underpin a future universal, single-payer system, and the grassroots of the party voted at a policy convention in October to settle for nothing less. 

The Liberals, meanwhile, have pushed for a model that would serve people who don't have existing insurance coverage, Singh said of the discussions. 

Health Minister Mark Holland has said little of the inner workings of the negotiations, except to say they are "progressing concretely."

"The challenge on these things is that as you get closer to thinking you have an agreement there are always additional details and additional pieces that come into play," he said Tuesday. 

Cost is also a factor, he said.

"We can't afford this to be a massively expensive program. We're not in a time when the fiscal framework can absorb massive costs."

Singh said he told the prime minister there would be repercussions for missing the pharmacare deadline. But he wouldn't tell reporters Wednesday what the consequences would be.

If the deal does fall apart, that doesn't mean the NDP will necessarily bring down the government. 

Since the agreement was struck, polls have shown the Opposition Conservatives rising in popularity across the country under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre. 

That leaves the Liberals and NDP at risk of losing seats the next time Canadians go to the polls. 

They can hold one off until fall 2025 at the latest, when a vote must take place according to fixed election date law.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver jail guard charged with assault

Vancouver jail guard charged with assault
The B-C Prosecution Service says a Vancouver jail guard has been charged with assault.  The service says Special Municipal Constable Omar Ahmed Flores faces one count of assault related to an incident at the Vancouver Police Department's jail last January.   

Vancouver jail guard charged with assault

Third child under 10 dies of complications linked to influenza in B.C.

Third child under 10 dies of complications linked to influenza in B.C.
The latest update from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control says it received three reports of influenza-related deaths in children aged under 10 during the final week of 2023. It says that means influenza was a contributing factor but not necessarily the primary cause of death in the children.

Third child under 10 dies of complications linked to influenza in B.C.

Witnesses need to come forward in shooting, plea from Coquitlam RCMP

Witnesses need to come forward in shooting, plea from Coquitlam RCMP
Mounties in Coquitlam say they're looking for witnesses and video footage of a shooting Thursday afternoon. Coquitlam R-C-M-P say nobody was injured in the shooting, which happened before 3 p-m around Johnson Street and Glen Drive.

Witnesses need to come forward in shooting, plea from Coquitlam RCMP

Snowfall warning triggers travel advisories for two B.C. highways

Snowfall warning triggers travel advisories for two B.C. highways
Environment Canada has also issued snowfall warnings for a number of areas in B.C. as a low pressure system from the Pacific Ocean approaches after an unusually warm December. The weather agency says the area around Whistler and the Howe Sound can expect accumulation at elevations above 400 metres, with the ski resort community getting as much as 15 centimetres.

Snowfall warning triggers travel advisories for two B.C. highways

Surrey RCMP need public's help in locating missing male Narinder Sandhu

Surrey RCMP need public's help in locating missing male Narinder Sandhu
Narinder Sandhu is described as a 69 year old South Asian Male. He is 5"7 with a slim build with white facial hair. He is believed to be riding a white Infinity mountain bike. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Narinder Sandhu is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604 599 0502. 

Surrey RCMP need public's help in locating missing male Narinder Sandhu

Abbotsford Police handed out close to 300 tickets in project joyride

Abbotsford Police handed out close to 300 tickets in project joyride
Police in Abbotsford say they handed out close to 300 traffic tickets and impounded more than 100 vehicles in what it called "project joyride." The department’s traffic enforcement unit spent numerous shifts in October and November focusing on high-risk driving behaviours such as speeding and street racing.

Abbotsford Police handed out close to 300 tickets in project joyride