OTTAWA — The New Democrats are confident there will be “no surprises” in the federal budget and that the Liberals will honour spending pledges made in their confidence and supply pact.
Daniel Blaikie, the NDP finance critic, is “confident” that a string of his party’s policy priorities requiring government funds will be in the budget and that the party will not be startled by unexpected omissions.
The budget is “the first test” of the agreement, he said, and the NDP will be watching closely to see if the Liberals deliver on their promises.
The NDP agreed to prop up the minority Liberal government until 2025, including voting for its budget so it passes through the Commons.
In return for support on the budget and confidence motions, it secured a string of policy pledges from the Liberals. Many need funding this year.
They include a $500 one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit, funding for dental care for low-income families, and a big injection of cash in Indigenous housing.
The NDP also secured Liberal support for “moving forward” on taxing the profits that big banks and insurance companies made during the pandemic. The Liberals had promised a temporary corporate tax surcharge on the sector during the 2021 election.
The two parties also agreed to scale back subsidies for oil and gas companies.
While Blaikie has not been told of the contents of the budget in advance, including on whether pledges will be honoured, he said he felt “confident they will be in there.”
A principle behind the agreement is that there would be “no surprises” between the political allies, which could include reneging on a promise.
“I would expect that if there was going to be a surprise, there would have been a heads-up,” Blaikie said.
The NDP is also watching for “signals” in the budget that policies in the deal will move ahead swiftly.
These include more funding to improve home energy efficiency to cut Canadians’ bills and help the environment.
Another pledge is extending the rapid housing initiative to create new affordable homes, including rentals.
The NDP will also be expecting government backing for the creation of a “clean jobs” training centre.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Blaikie said that “while some of the normal doubts continue to be there,” the party is “confident going into this budget that some of our priorities will be seriously reflected in the budget.”
One priority is moving quickly to implement 10 days of paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers, including people working on cross-Canada trains and planes.
The Tories have warned the pledges in the NDP-Liberal agreement could lead to a big increase in spending.
“At some point in time, Canada’s finances have to be reined in, spending has to be reined in,” said Conservative MP and finance critic Ed Fast.
In 2020, the parliamentary budget officer estimated the NDP dental-care plan would cost about $1.7 billion per year.
NDP health critic Don Davies said after receiving a briefing that he is optimistic the government will keep its commitments on dental care and pharmacare in the budget.
The Liberals will need to include funding for dental care in the budget in order to implement it for children under 12 with low or middle family incomes by the end of the year — a key promise laid out in the confidence and supply agreement.
“Things look on track to me,” Davies said in an interview on Wednesday.
Since the Liberal plan would be phased in, Davies said he hoped to see the appropriate amount of funds allocated over several years.
“I would be looking for a commitment that would be consistent with what the parliamentary budget officer estimated we would need,” he said.
Davies also hopes to see some money set aside in the budget for the establishment of the Canadian Drug Agency as the government moves toward pharmacare.
Under the terms of the confidence and supply deal, the NDP will have to vote for the Liberal budget even if they do not agree with all of it, and if it includes millions in military spending.
On Wednesday, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative defence critic, and Pierre Paul-Hus, public services and procurement critic, issued a joint statement saying the decision of the NDP to vote against a Conservative motion calling for a boost in defence spending to meet NATO commitments is “sad and troubling.”
“Today’s vote is proof that this NDP-Liberal government cannot be relied upon to make the necessary investments in our national defence to provide the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need,” the statement said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2022.
— With files from Laura Osman and Stephanie Taylor
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
