The supply and reliability agreement struck by the NDP and Liberals in Ottawa will come under intense scrutiny when Leader Jagmeet Singh holds his caucus meeting in Montreal next week, and the Liberals’ decision last month to force binding arbitration to end a strike on the country’s main rail line could trigger an end to the agreement.
Liberal Speaker Karina Gould insisted last week that the agreement would last until its scheduled end in June next year.
But New Democratic Party labour critic Matthew Green said the party is reconsidering the agreement after Labour Minister Steve McKinnon ordered binding arbitration with the Canada Industrial Relations Board less than 24 hours after CPR’s Kansas City branch and Canadian National Railway failed to reach a contract agreement at the negotiating table and locked out workers.
Singh called it a “red line that has been crossed.”
The future of the agreement is sure to be a top issue when NDP MPs meet in Montreal to plan their fall strategy before the House of Commons reconvenes on Sept. 16.
“When we caucus there will be some tough conversations about the future of the agreement and what Canadians need moving forward,” Green told The Canadian Press in an interview.
Green said that as Canada’s only labour party, the NDP has a responsibility to take “bold steps” to ensure support for workers, their families and others “who are struggling in this economy.”
“Everything is on the table,” he said, “and I would say everything is on the table.”
Singh and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau struck the Confidence and Supply Agreement more than two years ago, with the New Democrats agreeing to maintain a minority Liberal government until next June in exchange for progress on key priorities.
Many of the housing affordability measures the Liberals have introduced in recent years were NDP priorities, including dental benefits, temporary rent subsidies for low-income earners and a temporary doubling of GST refunds.
The New Democrats have also used the agreement to push through items such as a health care system and a ban on replacement workers during strikes or lockouts in federally regulated workplaces.
The two parties also negotiated a Housing Acceleration Fund that would allocate billions of dollars to help build more than 750,000 housing units across Canada.
Termination of the agreement would not automatically trigger elections
If the New Democrats withdraw from the deal, it would not immediately trigger an election. Instead, the party would vote on every piece of Liberal legislation.
MacKinnon declined to comment on whether the NDP plans to negotiate the agreement as a result of its actions in the rail lockout.
Gould’s office noted that he said last week he was “confident” the agreement would be seen through to the end.
“It’s clear she doesn’t understand the extent of people’s anger,” Green said of Gould.
“I can assure you that we will not be taken for granted, that the Liberal Party can just sit there and hope that we can stay in power.”
Most of the priorities in the agreement were met, except for a long-term care bill that would strengthen standards in nursing homes and certain electoral reforms.
Green said as the New Democrats review the agreement, they will consider using it to “fight for more benefits” from the Liberal government, citing support for workers and their families.
“Given the current circumstances, further steps need to be taken to ensure this agreement is worthwhile in the eyes of Canadians,” he said.
The NDP’s withdrawal in Montreal comes just days before a federal by-election for the municipal district is scheduled for Sept. 16. The NDP is hoping to flip the Liberal-held riding of LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, which has traditionally been a safe seat for the Liberals, but the NDP last won there in 2011.
Last week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poiriervre held a press conference calling on Singh to abandon the agreement, accusing him of betraying workers by signing a “costly coalition government” that puts Singh and Trudeau above Canadians.
National polls suggest Poirievre’s stance on workers’ rights and the economy resonates with Canadians, and he continues to hold large leads in opinion polls over the Liberal and New Democrat parties.
