NDP to reassess Liberal support deal before school resumes

(Ottawa) The “support and confidence agreement” between the NDP and the Liberals in Ottawa will be under scrutiny when NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh meets with his caucus in Montreal next week for the pre-session meeting.

The Liberals’ decision last month to impose binding arbitration to end the work stoppage at the country’s two main railway companies could put an end to the agreement.

Government House Leader Karina Gould said last week that the deal with the NDP would last until its scheduled expiry date next June.

But New Democratic Party labour critic Matthew Green said the NDP has been reassessing its support for the deal since Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration less than 24 hours after Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National locked out their workers. The sides had been unable to reach an agreement at the bargaining table before the announced work stoppages.

Mr Singh then said the Liberal government had crossed a “line in the sand”.

It is now clear that the future of the support agreement will be at the heart of the concerns of the NDP MPs who will meet in Montreal next week to plan their fall strategy before the House of Commons resumes on September 16.

The Ontario MP believes that as Canada’s only “labor party,” the NDP has a responsibility to take “bold action” to ensure support for workers and their families, as well as other Canadians who are “struggling in this economy.”

“Everything is on the table. And I would say strongly that everything is on the table,” he insisted.

Progressive social reforms

Singh and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau struck the deal more than two years ago, which sees the NDP prop up Trudeau’s minority government until June next year on key votes in the Commons in exchange for progress on some NDP priorities.

Many of the social measures the Liberals have introduced in recent years were in fact NDP priorities, including dental benefits, one-time rental assistance for low-income tenants and the temporary doubling of the GST rebate.

The New Democrats also used the deal to advance issues close to their hearts, such as pharmacare and a ban on the use of “scabs” in federally regulated workplaces.

The two parties also negotiated the creation of a housing acceleration fund, which has allocated billions of dollars to help build more than 750,000 units in Canada.

If the NDP pulls out of the deal, it doesn’t mean a snap election will be called. Instead, the party will vote “piecemeal” on Liberal bills.

Mr. MacKinnon declined to confirm that his party now wants to re-evaluate the relevance of the deal because of the government’s decision on the railways file.

M’s office^me Gould recalled the comments of the government House leader: she is “confident” the deal will hold until its expiry next year. MP Green believes that Ms.^me Gould “has no idea how angry people are.”

“I can assure you that we will not be taken for granted in this way, that the Liberals can simply make a wish that a mere presence will keep them in government.”

Several priorities achieved

Most of the priorities of the agreement have also been achieved, with the exception of the tabling of a long-term care law to strengthen standards in long-term care centres and the adoption of certain electoral reforms.

When reviewing the deal, the New Democrats will consider using it to “fight for more” from the Liberal government, Green said, particularly in support of workers and their families.

“Given the current situation, additional steps must be taken to make this deal worthwhile to Canadians,” he said.

The NDP caucus retreat in Montreal next week will come just days before a federal by-election in a Montreal riding on September 16. The NDP is hoping to take the riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun from the Liberals. They took the Liberal stronghold in 2011, during the “orange wave in Quebec.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a news conference in Ottawa last week to call on Singh to scrap the deal with the Liberals. He accused him of betraying workers by signing an “expensive coalition” that he said puts Singh and Trudeau ahead of Canadians.

National polls suggest Poilievre’s stance on workers’ rights and the economy is resonating with Canadians. He continues to hold a significant lead in national voting intentions, ahead of the Liberals and the New Democrats.