(OTTAWA) New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday his party is prepared to pull out of the “support and confidence agreement” he signed with the Liberals if there is no federal action to solve the “health care crisis for Canadian children”.
This agreement provides in particular that the New Democratic Party (NDP) supports the minority Liberal government on key votes in the Commons, in order not to trigger an election by 2025. In exchange, the Liberals have promised to make progress on a number of New Democrat priorities, including health care.
While some of the terms of the agreement are quite specific, such as dental care, the articles on general health care simply refer to “permanent additional investments,” but don’t include any specific timelines or amounts.
“If we don’t see action on health care, we absolutely reserve the right to withdraw our support,” Singh said at a Monday news conference in Ottawa.
“It’s a decision you don’t take lightly. […] Now is the time to keep putting pressure on, because our goal is to save lives, it’s to save our health care system, it’s to help workers, it’s to help children. »
In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press later Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was ready and willing to offer more money to the provinces for health care, but he wants ensure that the government will see improvements in the system as a result.
As to whether Mr. Singh will walk away from the deal, he says the health care crisis is bigger than any deal with the NDP.
“I think if health care continues to be such a point of crisis for so many Canadians, a deal with the NDP is the least of our worries,” Trudeau said.
“If we don’t improve our health care system, Canadians will begin to lose faith in our country, in our institutions, in our ability to be there for each other. »
Mr Singh said he was particularly concerned about the “growing” problems at children’s hospitals across the country. He has called for an emergency debate in the House of Commons as children’s hospitals face an influx of sick children this fall.
“We’re at a breaking point,” Singh said. Our children are in danger right now. »
“Desperate parents and workers”
Just last week, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa called on the Canadian Red Cross to help staff treating a record number of babies and children with of respiratory diseases.
Meanwhile, Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary is using a heated trailer as an additional waiting room.
“In Quebec, in Montreal, health care workers – doctors and nurses – said it was unheard of, the worst they had seen in their lives, with desperate parents and children, with healthcare workers who are tired,” Singh said.
“The Prime Minister lacks leadership, he must meet with the premiers and find solutions […] instead of blaming other prime ministers,” he said.
Mr. Singh wrote to the Speaker of the House to give advance notice of the NDP’s request for an emergency debate, citing several alarming developments across the country.
A memo from BC Children’s Hospital management obtained by The Canadian Press shows the hospital has had to put two patients in one room due to the number of children needing care. Similar measures have been used in the past during bad seasons for respiratory diseases.
Mr. Singh believes that the government’s urgent action should be informed by parliamentary debate.
Health transfer
The House adjourned early Monday due to the death of Winnipeg MP Jim Carr, so the Speaker has yet to respond to the request for an emergency debate.
Mr. Singh wants Mr. Trudeau to meet with provincial and territorial premiers to find a solution.
Last week, the provincial premiers publicly reiterated their request for a meeting with the Premier to reach an agreement to increase funding for their health care systems – a request they have been making for over a year.
Premiers reiterated their desire to see Ottawa cover 35% of health care costs nationwide, up from 22% currently, by increasing the Canada Health Transfer.
During his interview with The Canadian Press, Mr. Trudeau did not commit to meeting with all prime ministers as requested. He said he spoke to them regularly about health care and that his ministers were also actively working on the issue with their provincial counterparts.
“I don’t think people care whether or not we sit together. I think people care about whether or not we can start fixing our healthcare system, and that’s what I’m focusing on,” he said.
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos proposed last month to increase the Canada Health Transfer to provincial and territorial ministers of health in exchange for better data sharing between provinces and territories. , but no progress has been made on the issue.
The New Democrat leader explained Monday that the conditions imposed in the “support and confidence agreement” on health care are deliberately “flexible”, but he does not see any urgency on the part of the Liberal government.
“This is not just about health transfers: this is an immediate crisis that requires immediate action – and a Prime Minister to step in and show leadership. »
With information from Ashley Joannou