The MP for Kenora admits he’s disappointed the NDP has agreed to partner with the Liberals to ensure they stay in power until 2025.
However, Eric Melillo suggests that he’s not surprised.
This new deal is called a “confidence-and-supply” agreement, it means that the NDP agrees to support the Grits on specific measures and with conditions, and to not vote to defeat the government.
Melillo says, “Frankly I don’t know how much is going to tangibly change to be honest with you. The NDP hasn’t been providing much of an opposition to this point. They’ve sided with the government on every confidence motion and major piece of legislation. So from that point of view it looks like to me they are formalizing an agreement that has already been in place.”
Melillo says the Conservatives will continue to do their job holding the government accountable and providing alternatives.
He adds clearly the NDP has decided that they would rather just be an extension of the government.
Melillo notes no NDP candidate from the last election ran on a platform of joining the Liberals and being part of their government.
Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen was a little more harsh on her assessment stating Canadians have been hood winked and deceived by the Prime Minister.
“His number one goal, as we have seen over the course of the last six years, is always to do what’s best for him, not to do what’s best for Canadians. Now make no mistake. The NDP are in charge.”
Bergen further stated that 82 per cent of Canadians did not vote for a Liberal-NDP government.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the agreement is to support issues that both parties agree on, and not ones that they don’t.
“We’re different political parties. We stand for different things. But where we have common goals, we can not let our differences stand in the way of delivering what Canadians deserve. That’s why we’re taking this step,” says Trudeau.
For example, both parties are going to work towards better pharmacare, more affordable housing, but the big one is the NDP’s main platform of low income dental supports.
The Prime Minister’s office released a statement on the agreement outlining the new plan for how the low income dental program would be rolled out:
-Starting in 2022 children that are 12 years old would be covered
-Then those 18 years and under, as well as seniors and persons living with a disability in 2023
-With full implementation being rolled out in 2025
-The dental program would only be available to families that make $90,000 or less annually, with no co-pays for anyone under $70,000 annually in income.
This agreement provides the Liberals with basically a majority government, and when asked about his political future Trudeau said he plans on running in the next election come 2025.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he is going into this because he wants people to get help, “That is my team’s priority, that is my priority. We want people to get help. We want people to be able to fix their teeth. We want people to be able to afford medication. We want people to be able to find a home and we want to do our part to fight the climate crisis. These are all priorities for us and we want this to work. But our tool is if it doesn’t work, then we withdraw our support and the deal is off.”
Singh adds this is the start of an important journey, but he stresses he is a New Democrat, not a Liberal, “Never intended to to join the government. We will be opposing the government, when they do things that we disagree with, so we will remain an independent party and the opposition party, with the ability to hold this government to account, and to oppose the government, where we see necessary.”
He notes Canadians don’t want the threat of another election every time there is a confidence vote, and this agreement will help provide Canadians with some stability.
(With files from Katie Nicholls, Tara Clow and Kevin Jeffrey)
