NDP outlines federal budget demands after confidence deal
Posted April 5, 2022 12:57 pm.
The federal New Democrats are outlining their demands for Thursday’s budget, just weeks after the party signed its confidence agreement with the Trudeau Liberals.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says this fiscal plan will be the first real test of the deal.
“We use our power in this minority government to deliver help for people, for Canadians who need help now. So in this budget, we want to see some of that help realized,” he said Tuesday.
Singh says if his party is to live up to its end of the bargain by propping up the government, then the Liberals need to live up to theirs, and that starts with action on the NDP’s priorities, such as a national dental care plan.
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“There’s so many Canadians that cannot get their teeth fixed and we want to see first steps and funding for those first steps to start with kids under 12 to get the help they need to be able to look after their teeth,” he said.
Singh is also calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies, action on the housing crisis, and higher taxes for big banks.
He adds if there is an increase in military funding, it would not be a deal breaker.
More than 60 per cent of Canadians support the Liberal-NDP agreement, but people are split on whether it would lead to better policy, according to a recent poll from Ipsos.
The supply and confidence agreement will be in place until the next election, currently set for 2025.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in March the deal will provide Canadians with stability and give his government the opportunity to follow through on its commitments to voters. The agreement, however, was quickly criticized by the Conservatives, who called it a desperate attempt by Trudeau to remain in power at all costs.
