麻豆影视

Politics

    • Liberals' deal with NDP will keep Trudeau minority in power for 3 more years

    Share
    OTTAWA -

    The federal Liberals and New Democrats have finalized an agreement that, if maintained, would keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 government in power until the end of the current Parliament in exchange for progress on longstanding NDP priorities.

    Trudeau announced on Tuesday morning that the confidence-and-supply agreement has been brokered, is effective immediately, and will remain in effect until June 2025.

    鈥淲e're different political parties, we stand for different things. But where we have common goals, we cannot let our differences stand in the way of delivering what Canadians deserve. That's why we're taking this step,鈥 said Trudeau.

    鈥淲hat this means is that, during this uncertain time, the government can function with predictability and stability鈥 and get things done for Canadians,鈥 the prime minister said, adding that it was 鈥渘ot an easy decision.鈥

    The agreement will see the NDP caucus prop up the government in future confidence votes and back them on four budgets, in exchange for progress before the next election on several key policy issues that are shared Liberal-NDP priorities.

    Confirming the deal on Tuesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that his party is 鈥渦sing our power to get help to people.鈥

    鈥淚n this time, everyone I talk to, people are telling me that they need help now. And they expect politicians to deliver that help. And that's exactly what we're doing,鈥 he said.

    Called 鈥淒elivering for Canadians Now, A Supply and Confidence Agreement,鈥 the two parties have agreed that over the next three years the government will:

    • Launch a new dental care program for low-income Canadians. Starting with under 12-year-olds in 2022, expanding to under 18-year-olds, seniors, and persons living with disabilities in 2023, and then full implementation by 2025, with no co-pays for anyone earning less than $70,000 annually.
    • Continue progress towards a universal national pharmacare program passing a 鈥楥anada Pharmacare Act鈥 by the end of 2023, and then tasking the National Drug Agency to develop a national formulary of essential medicines and a bulk purchasing plan by the end of 2025;
    • Advance a series of measures aimed at affordability and housing costs including a 鈥楬omebuyers Bill of Rights鈥 and an 鈥楨arly Learning and Child Care Act鈥;
    • Proceed with policies and programs meant to target climate change;
    • Ensure supports for workers are implemented including supporting labour unions and starting the 10-day paid sick leave policy imminently;
    • Invest more in Indigenous reconciliation including supporting residential school survivors;
    • Improve fairness in the tax system by addressing profits made by big banks during the pandemic; and
    • Eliminate barriers to democratic participation by exploring ways to expand how people can vote such as improving mail-in balloting and potentially allowing a three-day voting period.

    鈥淎ll these are things that we had in our platform. All these are things that we committed to Canadians that we would work hard on and constructively on, and that's what this agreement is about. It's about fulfilling the clear mandate Canadians gave Parliament by improving the way we do politics,鈥 Trudeau said.

    The deal, worked out by party leadership, was presented to Liberal and NDP MPs for approval on Monday night. The news was well received in the Liberal caucus, according to sources. And, according to a senior NDP source, while that party鈥檚 caucus was not in unanimous support, the majority was.

    Prior to his remarks, a senior NDP source told 麻豆影视 that New Democrats were willing to formally support the Liberals now for a host of reasons, including post-pandemic exhaustion and uncertainty over the war in Ukraine, and said they feel it is important to show parties can work together despite their differences.

    The deal made for a raucous question period on Tuesday, seeing considerable heckling from the Conservative and Bloc Quebecois benches towards the Liberals and New Democrats, with interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen consistently calling Trudeau鈥檚 government the 鈥淣DP-Liberal government.鈥

    WHAT IT MEANS FOR PARLIAMENT

    According to one Liberal source who attended an emergency caucus meeting on the subject on Monday night, the agreement was billed to MPs as 鈥渕aking Parliament work."

    Trudeau echoed this sentiment in his press conference, saying that Canadians sent MPs back to Ottawa following the 2021 election with a 鈥渃lear mandate鈥 to work together to deliver results.

    The kinds of votes the NDP will have to support through this deal include: budget bills, estimate and supply legislation, and other motions that the Liberals deem matters of confidence. The NDP have also agreed to not move a vote of non-confidence or vote for a non-confidence motion brought by another party during this time.

    The NDP have said they still plan to act like an opposition party, will keep pushing for the government to do more than what is part of this agreement, and should something happen or not, both sides are free to walk away from the agreement.

    鈥淭here's going to be moments where we disagree鈥 But we're hopeful that there are going to be opportunities outside of agreement where we can actually get more for people and we're going to continue to do that,鈥 Singh said.

    Asked whether this move weakens the New Democrats electorally, giving the Liberals the ability to potentially tout accomplishing expansions of health programs, Singh said he doesn鈥檛 overly care because, ultimately, people will be able to get their teeth fixed and afford medications.

    Trudeau said Tuesday that the deal is not about compromising either party鈥檚 core beliefs, and that there will continue to be 鈥渉ealthy debate鈥 between the parties. As well, the Liberals will continue to look to other caucuses in the House of Commons for support on issues that the NDP may not be supportive of, such as enhanced defence spending in response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

    鈥淓very piece of legislation will continue to get the scrutiny it merits, committees will continue to do their essential work, and members of Parliament will continue representing their constituents and holding the government to account,鈥 said the prime minister.

    As part of the deal, the parties have agreed to a system of 鈥渘o surprises鈥 and will be talking frequently in order to stay on the same page. This will include enacting quarterly leaders鈥 meetings, regular meetings between their House leaders and whips, and monthly 鈥渢ake-stock鈥 meetings from an oversight group comprised of staff and politicians.

    They have also settled on the NDP backing 鈥渁 limited number鈥 of what are called programming motions, such as time allocation or closure, to help quickly pass legislation both parties support.

    The deal will also see the NDP provided briefings from ministers and top bureaucrats on policy matters included in the deal, including on the budget and legislation.

    CONSERVATIVES CLAIM 'COALITION'

    Given the Liberals are in a minority position, so long as this agreement is maintained it will inject years of federal stability allowing Trudeau鈥檚 cabinet to continue advancing their priorities without concern of falling on a confidence vote.

    Given the last federal election was in 2021, the next scheduled vote would happen in October 2025. This deal is set to remain in effect until Parliament rises in June 2025, opening up the possibility of an early election call that summer.

    Since the Liberals were first reduced to a minority in 2019, the NDP have often been the government鈥檚 main ally, voting to support their initiatives, but that support had never been formalized. Of the 338 seats, the Liberals currently hold 159, the Conservatives hold 119, the Bloc Quebecois hold 32, the NDP hold 25, the Greens hold two and there is one independent MP.

    The Conservatives have slammed the deal, with Bergen telling reporters that the 鈥渃oalition鈥 will be costly for Canadians.

    鈥淭hat was not what Canadians voted for, just a few short months ago. They did not vote for an NDP-Liberal government that would be spending billions of dollars,鈥 she said.

    There are differences between the agreement that the Liberals and NDP have reached, and Bergen鈥檚 suggestion that Canada now has majority government run by a formal coalition.

    The latter is when parties join forces to hold a larger share of seats than any other party, and typically where the cabinet includes members from both parties. Extremely rare in Canada, a coalition government has not been formed federally in modern political times.

    鈥淭here are a lot of Liberals that are coming to me and saying they're very worried about the economic direction under a Justin Trudeau government. I cannot imagine this morning how they are feeling,鈥 Bergen said, claiming Singh is now 鈥渂asically鈥 the deputy prime minister under this agreement, and vowing to hold both parties to account.

    Chrystia Freeland remains Canada鈥檚 deputy prime minister and minister of finance. No members of the NDP are joining the federal cabinet.

    The Conservative party will be electing its next leader in September, and should this major dynamic shift in the domestic political landscape last, the victor would be facing their first few years in the job as leader of the Official Opposition.

    Responding to Bergen鈥檚 coalition claims and suggestions the NDP are now 鈥渋n charge,鈥 Singh said: 鈥淚 want to make sure it's really clear: this is not a coalition. We never intended it to be a coalition, and it's never been something that we either put forward. Frankly it wasn't offered, nor would I have accepted it.鈥

    Commenting on the agreement, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet told reporters that he was not solicited by the Liberals to join this pact, but he had a 鈥渃ordial鈥 conversation with Trudeau before the deal was announced.

    鈥淚 explained to him that he doesn't have anything more to fear from the Bloc now than before鈥 We'll try to improve things and if they do things with which we agree, we will keep being in agreement, but we will never surrender what we are, our responsibility or the mandate that was given to us,鈥 Blanchet said.

    鈥淚 remind everybody that every citizen who voted for the NDP, did not vote for the Liberals,鈥 he added.

    While speculation continues about what this agreement will mean down the line for the political futures of Trudeau and Singh, one political science expert told 麻豆影视 Channel she doesn鈥檛 think much will be changing in the short term.

    鈥淚 don't see things being that much different than what we've had over the last couple of years. The NDP could always be relied on by this government to vote in favour of their priorities, and not to vote them out. Remember, the only reason we had an election last year wasn't because of a confidence vote, it was because Justin Trudeau wanted an election, and there's nothing in this deal that prevents him from doing that again in the future,鈥 said University of Windsor political science professor Lydia Miljan on Tuesday.

    With files from 麻豆影视' Mike Le Couteur

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

    Canada

    • Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

    • Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • The RCMP is seeking the dismissal of three officers who have been suspended from the Coquitlam detachment since June 2021 over allegations of racist, sexist and homophobic comments made in a group chat.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • When Bernard Morissette got a call from Loto-Quebec on Sept. 18 and was asked if he was sitting down, he had no idea what was coming his way.

    • An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    Sports

    • The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have won five in a row. The Edmonton Elks have won five of their last six games. They are the two hottest teams in the West. When they meet Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, something has to give.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    • The RCMP is seeking the dismissal of three officers who have been suspended from the Coquitlam detachment since June 2021 over allegations of racist, sexist and homophobic comments made in a group chat.

    • Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

    • On the day he spoke to one of his largest audiences to date, the leader of the BC Conservatives made an exceptionally misleading statement around a well-publicized funding model for political parties that鈥檚 been in place since 2018.

    • Toronto police say an officer was injured after police pursued a robbery suspect onto the tracks at Bloor-Yonge Station late last night.

    • Three people were taken to hospital following a serious collision which shut down Hwy. 48 in Markham late Friday night.

    • One person was taken to hospital after a motorcycle and another vehicle collided in the Fairbank area overnight.

    • The man charged with fatally stabbing lifelong Banff resident Ethan Enns-Goneau in 2022 has been convicted of second-degree murder.

    • Environment Canada issued a frost advisory for Calgary late Friday afternoon.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • For years, the commute to Ottawa's west end was one of the biggest complaints for attending fans. But those who live in Kanata and in the immediate LeBreton area say the move would be a big change their respective neighbourhoods.

    • Ottawa police are investigating a shooting downtown Friday afternoon.

    • Montrealers can get used to taking a stroll on several car-free streets during the summer in the years to come thanks to a new commitment from the city.

    • Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating a suspected arson attack that occurred early Saturday morning in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc Extension borough.

    • Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    • Halifax Regional Police warned the public of a series of high-value thefts targeting retail stores Friday.

    • A new scam is being reported in communities across the country.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • While slang may come and go, experts say the phenomenon behind them, which constantly churns out brand-new bon mots, is as old as language itself.

    • A plane approaches the grass runway at Harv鈥檚 Air School south of Steinbach. Nothing is getting in the way of a clear, smooth landing, but owner Harv Penner worries, that could soon change.

    • Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

    • Regina police are responding to a collision involving a motorcycle on Friday evening.

    • Five Regina schools were placed into lockdown or secure the building mode following a report of a weapons investigation at Miller High School on Friday.

    • Protests were held in front of Kitchener City Hall on Friday, both for and against LGBTQ2S+ inclusive education and queer rights in schools.

    • The provincial government is considering new rules to restrict a municipality鈥檚 ability to install new bike lanes if it means traffic lanes would be removed.

    • A new scam is being reported in communities across the country.

    • Hospital beds in hallways, supply shortages in the neonatal intensive care unit, and operating rooms being put on hold are some of the concerns nurses are voicing, according to the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN).

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP major crimes unit is investigating after a 29-year-old man died in hospital.

    • A garage fire in Saskatoon鈥檚 Willows neighbourhood on Friday narrowly missed igniting an attached home, according to the fire department.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • If you prefer cash over card, unfortunately Budweiser Gardens will no longer accept it.

    • The London Police Service (LPS) has launched a public survey, looking at policing and community safety.

    • A London man is half a million dollars richer after winning a Lotto Max draw on August 13.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • A man is facing numerous drug trafficking charges after Dufferin OPP seized a large assortment of drugs and weapons in Orangeville earlier this week.

    • Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

    • A LaSalle high school is celebrating its emerald anniversary this weekend, with everyone who has ever walked its halls invited to return.

    • The final phase of investigation in downtown Wheatley is nearing completion over three years after a major gas explosion.

    • The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is searching for the occupants of a vehicle caught on security cameras during a fatal police-involved shooting on Goyeau Street.

    • A home has been transformed for the benefit of a B.C. neighbourhood, by a man who was transformed by the caring of his community.

    • When the federal government announced all open net fish farms on the British Columbia coast need to be out of the water by 2029, it also promised to produce a draft transition plan by the end of July. It missed that target by seven weeks.

    • New Democrat Leader David Eby has launched his British Columbia election campaign a day early, making the key battle ground of Surrey his first stop.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls 鈥 including one that gave birth to 10 puppies 鈥 from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • After a summer of preparation, the Lethbridge Hurricanes are ready to open the 2024-25 season.

    • As a new semester is underway, Lethbridge Polytechnic and the University of Lethbridge say the number of students on campus is on the rise.

    • A Lethbridge resident is facing charges after police seized drugs and weapons at a traffic stop for bicycle equipment violations.

    • A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视