The Supply and Confidence Agreement has Run its Course

In the first week of September, following Labour Day, New Democrats formally ended the Supply and Confidence Agreement with the governing Liberals. While some observers seemed shocked by the deal breaking when it did, others seemed to have been surprised that it didn’t happen sooner. But what seems lost in the conversation is that the lead up to this decision didn’t happen overnight, and that while both parties may have found some common ground, it's obvious that there were clear policy divisions that eventually came to a head after two-and-a-half years of efforts to cooperate.

The Supply and Confidence Agreement reached between our two parties was always about extracting clear policy gains while ensuring some degree of stability for the government in a minority situation. Coming off the back of the 2021 election, which was called by the Prime Minister without a clear reason only two years after the previous one, Parliament returned with what looked like the same makeup of the one before with a few rearranged deck chairs. For many people looking in from the outside, it didn’t feel necessary. The House of Commons was in the same minority situation it was in following the 2019 election. The only thing that was clear was that Canadians were tired of pointless political games and wanted to see their Parliament function. So, after a few months of negotiations, New Democrats agreed to provide that stability in exchange for prioritizing a number of policy goals that would be beneficial to Canadians.

So, what was negotiated and what was gained through this agreement? There are a number of significant policies that Canadians can be happy about. We negotiated ten paid sick days per year for federally-regulated workplaces – a necessity in a post-Covid world. Those federally regulated workplaces are also now free of the threat of replacement workers (scabs), given that we were finally able to have anti-scab legislation passed. We passed the Sustainable Jobs Act, ensuring that we create jobs in the net zero economy. We pushed forward with a dental care plan that is now accessible by 2.4 million Canadians, with government estimates showing the program will cover 9 million Canadians once fully implemented. We created a school food program that, once negotiated with the provinces, would ensure that children can get nutritious meals in schools. We’ve managed to get a number of significant housing initiatives passed, such as extending the Rapid Housing Initiative and topping up the Canada Housing Benefit. We’ve secured funding for a co-developed Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy and a Red Dress Alert system.

While we’ve used the deal to advance clear goals, there are some that have not crossed the finish line, and others that aren’t what New Democrats had hoped for. We’ve been consistent, as was the Supply and Confidence Agreement, that we would move forward with a pharmacare plan by the end 2023. The government didn’t take that deadline seriously, and didn’t table legislation until February of this year. The government clearly did not prioritize one of the key aspects of the deal. We agreed to electoral reform legislation that would extend voting days and allow people to vote at any polling station. That bill, C-65, has only completed second reading. We also negotiated the tabling of a bill to establish national long–term care standards - the government has yet to table legislation, as it seems they have no interest in the matter at all, despite some of the horrifying details we witnessed during the pandemic.

All this is to say that we had clear goals in mind, and while we understood that the government may not be prioritizing the same issues as New Democrats, we would support them on matters of confidence if it felt like those goalposts were moving forward. But given where we are at, it appears the Liberals did not feel the need to prioritize what we agreed to. By the end of this summer, they were prioritizing binding arbitration for rail workers instead of allowing collective bargaining to unfold naturally. As a party that prioritizes workers’ rights, it became increasingly clear that our paths did not necessarily align.

This does not mean an election is imminent. What it does mean, is that the government will need to work harder than ever to secure support for their agenda in Parliament, either through us or another party. New Democrats remain committed to rolling up our sleeves to get things done and will continue to support legislation we agree with.