By Andrew Thomson | UPDATED 4:48pmET
PM confirms deal with NDP to support Liberal government on confidence votes, avoid election until 2025
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed a Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement through 2025 to avoid a defeat of his minority government.
The NDP will vote with the government on key confidence matters such as budget policy, budget implementation bills, estimates, and supply -- and will not support any non-confidence motion in the House of Commons.
However the agreement states that "other votes which impede the government from functioning may be declared confidence by the government."
In return, the Liberal government pledged regular communication and coordination with the NDP and progress on dental care, pharma care, housing affordability, and tax fairness.
"Both parties have identified key policy areas where we share similar objectives. And we've agreed to work together to put the needs and interests of Canadians first," says PM Trudeau as he discusses the Liberal government's supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP.#cdnpoli https://t.co/ZSMJQdKTDH
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) March 22, 2022
Trudeau said the deal was not about denying differences between the two parties or compromising core beliefs, but instead about delivering for Canadians while maintaining parliamentary accountability.
Asked what the agreement meant for his own future as prime minister and Liberal leader, Trudeau only said he was planning to serve Canadians through and beyond the next election.
Watch PrimeTime Politics with Peter Van Dusen for more coverage: 8pm ET / 5pm PT
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called the agreement a path to stability and delivering results to Canadians over next three years, but not a carte blanche to the Liberals.
Singh said his caucus would continue to question the government and vote against government measures – and withdraw from the arrangement if necessary.
“If they fall short on what they’ve agreed to then the deal doesn’t continue,” Singh told reporters.
“But I’m going into this with a strong conviction that we can get this done.”
"What we've been able to do is to use our power in this minority government to get help to people—to get help to people in this difficult time," asserts NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh as he discusses his party's supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/4U55j3yP3z
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) March 22, 2022
"Tommy Douglas used his power to bring in Medicare. Jack Layton used his power in a minority government to bring in affordable housing. And we are using our power now to take a bold step forward on dental care, pharmacare, and help to people," says NDP's Jagmeet Singh.#cdnpoli https://t.co/vKf9lFueb0
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) March 22, 2022
Watch Singh's news conference:
Read the text of the agreement:
Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen called the agreement a "backroom deal" that has effectively created a Liberal-NDP majority government, with Canadian voters hoodwinked and deceived by a power-grabbing prime minister.
"This deal means that Canadians have woken up to, in essence, an NDP–Liberal majority government—I think we have to let that sink in,” says interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen as she raises concerns re: those two parties' newly announced supply & confidence deal.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/FJoYRR2BlC
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) March 22, 2022
Watch the full Conservative news conference:
Watch Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet:
And from Green parliamentary leader Elizabeth May:
"By giving the Liberals a free pass to 2025 without asking for a single significant step to protect our climate, they're letting them off the hook and that's three years gone that we can't afford to have gone," Green Party MP Elizabeth May said of Liberal–NDP agreement.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/2OGHTmDV6L
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) March 22, 2022
In the House
The prime minister was in the chamber for question period before flying to Brussels for meetings with NATO leaders.
The Conservatives also have an opposition day motion on the order paper:
That, given that,
(i) Canadians are facing severe hardship due to the dramatic escalation in gas prices,
(ii) the 5% collected under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), and the Quebec Sales Tax (QST) creates increased revenue for the federal government as fuel prices rise which compounds the pain on Canadian consumers and the economy,
the House call on the government to immediately provide relief at the pumps to all Canadians by introducing a temporary 5% reduction on gasoline and diesel whether collected under the GST, HST, or QST which would reduce the average price by approximately eight cents per litre.
