Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has struck a deal with a political rival that would keep him in power until 2025. In exchange for supporting the New Democratic Party in key votes, Trudeau’s Liberals have pledged progress on the national drug and dental care programs.
“With so much instability around us, Canadians need stability,” said the prime minister when announcing the deal with the NDP on Tuesday morning.
Trudeau said “nobody benefits” if parliament “isn’t working properly” and that his Liberals would look for common goals with the NDP and other opposition parties.
Trudeau was elected to a third term in September but holds only a minority of seats in Parliament, meaning he needs support from other parties to govern. Minority governments have relatively short lifespans and ruling parties try to legislate with ever-present fears of upcoming elections.
Under a confidence and supply agreement, an opposition party pledges not to vote against the government for a period of time. With Tuesday’s announcement, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and his party will support Trudeau’s government on confidence votes such as the federal budget. The left-wing NDP has supported Trudeau’s Liberals in important votes since 2019.
Singh’s party underperformed in the last election, gaining just one seat. While no New Democrats will be given cabinet seats, the deal gives the party, which finished fourth in the election, outsized influence in shaping federal policy.
In addition to pushing pharmaceutical and dental care for low-income Canadians, Trudeau said his government will tax banks whose profits have surged during the pandemic. He also said indigenous rights and climate change remain priorities.
The deal drew scathing criticism from interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen, who described the deal as “a callous attempt by Trudeau to remain in power.”
“This is an NDP Liberal attempt at government through blackmail. Nation-building will be replaced by vote-buying; secret deals on parliamentary debates; and opportunism rather than accountability,” Bergen said late Monday night following media reports of an upcoming deal. “If this NDP-Liberal coalition stays in place, Canada is in for a very rough ride.”
While parties in minority governments often support each other, formal trust and supply contracts are relatively rare in federal politics. At the provincial and territorial levels, three governments have signed similar agreements since 2017. The most prominent agreement, between British Columbia’s NDP government and the Green Party, lasted three years.