Alliance agreement formed between Liberals and NDP

Alliance agreement would last until 2025

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The federal Liberal and NDP parties have announced a confidence agreement between the two parties, an Alliance that will keep the Liberal government in power until 2025.

coalitionA statement from the PMOs Office indicates the NDP agrees to support the government on confidence and budgetary matters, including notably on budgetary policy, implementation bills, estimates and supply. In return, the Liberal Party commits to govern for the duration of the agreement. The NDP would not move a vote of non-confidence, nor vote for a no-confidence motion during the term of the arrangement. Other matters that could lead to a confidence vote would see the NDP disclosing their voting intentions to the Liberals before making those intentions public.

“In these highly uncertain and difficult times, Canadians expect us to come together and get to work to help make their lives better. The Liberal Party of Canada and Canada’s New Democratic Party have agreed to improve the way we approach politics over the next three years for the benefit of Canadians,” the PMO statement reads. “The parties have identified key policy areas where there is a desire for a similar medium-term outcome. We have agreed to work together during the course of this Parliament to put the needs of Canadians first. This work will be focused on growing our economy by creating green jobs that fight the climate crisis, making people’s lives more affordable with housing and childcare, and expanding and protecting our healthcare. As the basis for this work, it is fundamental for the parties to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Both parties hope that by approaching this Parliament more collaboratively, we will be able to deliver on these shared policy objectives before the next election.”

Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen called the alliance a callous attempt by Trudeau to hold on to power.

“Canadians did not vote for an NDP government. This is little more than backdoor socialism. Trudeau is truly polarizing politics which is what he likes,” Bergen said in a statement.

“This is an NDP-Liberal attempt at government by blackmail. Nation-building is replaced by vote-buying; secret deal-making over parliamentary debate; and opportunism over accountability.

Calling the alliance Delivering for Canadians Now, the Supply and Confidence Agreement takes effect March 22, 2022 until June of 2025.

Shared Priorities

Both parties have agreed to a number of shared priorities, including a new dental care program for low-income Canadians, working towards a universal national pharmacare program by passing a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023, and tabling a Safe Long-Term Care Act to ensure that seniors are guaranteed the care they deserve, no matter where they live.

The two parties also plan to extend the Rapid Housing Initiative for an additional year, re-focus the Rental Construction Financing Initiative, launch a Housing Accelerator Fund, Implement a Homebuyer’s Bill of Rights, and include a $500 one-time top-up to Canada Housing Benefit in 2022 which would be renewed in coming years if cost of living challenges remain.

On climate, both parties have vowed to advance measures to achieve significant emissions reductions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, move forward on the creation of the Clean Jobs Training Centre to support workers retention, redeployment and training in 2022, move forward with Just Transition legislation, and develop a plan to phase-out public financing of the fossil fuel sector, including from Crown corporations. The latter would see early moves in 2022.

The NDP-Liberal partnership would ensure that the 10 days of paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers starts as soon as possible in 2022, and introduce legislation by the end of 2023 to prohibit the use of replacement workers, “scabs,” when a union employer in a federally regulated industry has locked out employees or is in a strike.

The two parties also want to make a significant additional investment in Indigenous housing in 2022, accelerate the implementation of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People with Indigenous partners, and create a standing Federal-Provincial-Territorial table related to that work. The two parties also commit to providing the necessary support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities who wish to continue to undertake the work of burial searches at the former sites of residential schools.
The parties plan to make tax changes on financial institutions that have made large profits during the pandemic, and implement a publicly accessible beneficial ownership registry by the end of 2023.

With respect to elections, they plan to work with Elections Canada to make Election Day be three days of voting, allow people to vote at any polling place within their Electoral District, improve the process of mail-in ballots, and commit to make sure Quebec’s number of seats in the House of Commons remains constant.

Rough ride ahead – Bergen says

Bergen says if the NDP-Liberal Coalition stands, Canada is in for a very rough ride.

“With rising inflation, out-of-control cost of living, and national unity at stake, Trudeau knows he is losing the confidence of Canadians,” Bergen said.

“His answer is to stay in power at all costs including implementing the even harsher and more extreme policies of the NDP.

Article compiled by Stephen Dafoe

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