(Ottawa) Federal New Democrats believe they will soon be able to repay their 2021 election debt, but will wait for the results of end-of-year fundraising before marking the occasion.
The exact amount raised during the last fundraising campaign of 2023 will be clarified at the end of the month, when the totals must be communicated to Elections Canada, New Democratic Party (NDP) director Anne McGrath said Monday.
The party has less than $1 million left of a $22 million campaign loan from 2021, and recent fundraising efforts should allow it to repay the debt in the coming months, Ms.me McGrath.
Once this is done, she said the party would begin building a war chest for the next federal election call, which must take place before October 20, 2025.
“It’s usually a big moment when we finally manage to pay off the election debt and we can finally start accumulating a war chest for the next campaign,” Ms.me McGrath.
“We invested in preparing for the elections and we repaid the debt. »
The NDP’s support and confidence deal to keep the minority Liberal government afloat is in effect until June 2025. An election could be held sooner if that deal falls through.
If that happens, the New Democrats would be prepared to present a full slate of candidates, with more than 30 having already been nominated, Ms.me McGrath.
Indeed, preparations are already well advanced, with nominations meetings already taking place and surveys underway to determine what trends might emerge, she added.
Butme McGrath said she doesn’t expect a vote until 2025.
“There is still a lot of work to do, certainly in terms of our support and confidence agreement with the Liberals,” she said.
“I hope we can do more before the election. »
That to-do list includes drafting and agreeing with the Liberals on a framework for a new pharmacare program, which must be presented to the House of Commons by March.
Mme McGrath said she’s “fairly confident” a deal will be reached, despite the NDP rejecting a first draft in the fall. New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would only accept legislation that lays the foundation for a universal, single-payer pharmacare program.
“I think there is goodwill on both sides and a desire to find an agreement,” Mr.me McGrath.
“I worry about the influence of some of the big pharmaceutical companies. We saw the kind of influence they had. But at the same time, I believe there is a desire on the part of the public that we strengthen our health system and protect it,” she added.
The New Democrats have promised to abandon their agreement with the Liberals if the agreement on drug insurance fails. But rather than forcing an election, they would decide vote by vote whether they support the government or not.
The Liberals are 12 seats short of a majority in the Commons, meaning they need the support of at least a dozen opposition MPs to pass legislation and survive confidence votes.
The New Democrats, who have long campaigned to integrate universal access to prescription drugs into the public health care system, believe that drug insurance is an issue that sets them apart from the Liberals.
The Liberals campaigned on a promise to implement a national pharmacare program during the 2019 election, but made no such promise when they returned to the polls in 2021.
New Democrats expect health care to be a priority for voters in the upcoming election, citing a similar strategy in Manitoba that helped propel Wab Kinew to the premiership last fall.