NDP to campaign on pharmacare if it backs out of Liberal deal: national director
The federal New Democrats plan to make pharmacare a central issue in the next election if the Liberals do not meet the bar the opposition party has set for legislation to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.
The confidence-and-supply deal that sees the NDP supporting the minority Liberals on key votes in the House of Commons says the government will introduce a bill to create a framework for national pharmacare this year.
NDP members drew a line in the sand by passing an emergency resolution at their policy convention in Hamilton this weekend that says the party should withdraw its support if the Liberals do not commit to "a universal, comprehensive and entirely public pharmacare program."
- Capital Dispatch: Sign up for the latest in federal politics and why it matters
- Top headlines on Canadian politics, all in one place
The New Democratic Party's national director, Anne McGrath, said getting a bill that has teeth will be her party's biggest priority as parliamentarians return to the House of Commons this week.
And that if the NDP ends up walking away from the deal over the issue, she said in an interview on Sunday, then: "Pharmacare will be a ballot-box issue. Absolutely, it will be."
Singh shared a message of hope in his keynote speech to about 1,200 delegates at the party's policy convention on Saturday, with the NDP testing new language around "rebuilding Canada" as it tries to position itself as a party that can bring change.
"We will build a Canada where we take care of each other. A Canada where we all rise together," said Singh, who received an 81 per cent confidence vote from delegates, down from the 87 per cent he received in 2021.
Singh and his NDP caucus also threw their support behind the non-binding resolution on universal pharmacare, a topic that dominated the convention floor and was widely celebrated.
"Weak legislation is not going to be acceptable to New Democrats," McGrath said.
"It has to be strong. It has to have teeth. And I feel like that resolution gave Jagmeet and the caucus a lot of bargaining power. It gives them a lot of strength."
However, even if a bill is introduced by December, it is unclear when a program could be operational -- and when Canadians could begin to save money when filling out their prescriptions.
The NDP's health critic, Don Davies, said pulling out of the deal does not mean the party will push to trigger an election, but instead would consider whether to support Liberal legislation one vote at a time.
The next federal election must occur no later than Oct. 20, 2025. But since the Liberals do not have a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, they must convince at least a dozen opposition MPs to vote with them in order to pass legislation and, crucially, survive confidence votes.
The agreement the Liberals and NDP, which has 25 MPs, entered into in March 2022 would see the opposition party support the minority government, and avoid triggering an election, until Parliament rises for the summer break in June 2025. In exchange, the Liberals have promised to take action on a list of shared priorities -- including pharmacare.
"Whatever the next few months or years brings us, we know that we have to be ready for an election," McGrath said.
New Democrats, who have long campaigned to make universal access to prescription drugs part of the public health-care system, believe that pharmacare is an issue that separates them from the Liberals.
The Liberals did campaign on a promise to implement a national pharmacare program in the 2019 election, but made no such pledge when they went back to the polls in 2021.
During the NDP's three-day policy convention, delegates had carved out a plan to recruit candidates and hosted workshops for them while focusing on policies that address housing needs and the rising cost of living.
The party expects health care to be top of mind for voters in the next election, and noted the successful campaign of NDP premier-designate Wab Kinew in Manitoba, which focused heavily on the topic.
"They rejected the message of division that our opponents were peddling and they chose to embrace our message for the future of this province, which is to bring people together," Kinew said in a pre-recorded message that was played at the convention.
Singh took that message to heart, using his appearances at the convention to portray Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as angry and divisive.
Jennifer Howard, a former Manitoba NDP cabinet minister who is now chief of staff to Singh, said the party can also learn from the "phenomenal ground game" of their provincial cousins in the Oct. 3 election there.
"They got people to the advance votes early. They made sure that people who were in ridings that felt more secure were helping out people where they were trying to grow. They nominated candidates early," Howard said.
"And the message they put forward is very focused on things that matter to people, like health care and affordability."
John Harris, 23, a student activist and the son of former NDP MP Jack Harris, said pharmacare often comes up on the doorstep when he's door-knocking in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"We have seniors cutting pills or choosing between taking their medication or paying for food or rent or heating," he said.
"And it's a very serious thing for people who don't have insurance."
The party has said it's looking to take back the Newfoundland riding of St. John's East, which Jack Harris held from 2008 to 2015 and again from 2019 to 2021, as well as Halifax, previously held by the NDP. Both are now represented by Liberals.
McGrath said the NDP has just under 50 candidates already nominated, but have names for each of the 338 ridings in Canada.
Party members and supports "want us to do whatever we can to make their lives better," she said, "and they want us to get ready for an election, and we're doing it."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
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
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Local Spotlight
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.
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’s 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.