Delegates at the New Democratic convention have made pharmacare the redline in their deal with the Liberals, saying they will withdraw their support if the minority government doesn’t adhere to their demands. The confidence-and-supply agreement requires the government to table legislation on a pharmacare framework by the end of the year in exchange for the NDP’s support on key votes in the House of Commons.
On Saturday, the party unanimously passed a non-binding emergency resolution that says they will cut the deal if pharmacare isn’t universal and entirely a public program. New Democrat health critic Don Davies emphasized that the resolution has the full backing of the NDP caucus and that they will accept nothing less than a public single-payer system. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also stood firm on this commitment, stating that the Liberals only act when forced by the NDP, as demonstrated in the past with the establishment of Medicare.
The Liberals have made promises to implement national universal pharmacare in their election platform and subsequent throne speeches and mandate letters. In 2019, an expert panel appointed by the Liberals recommended the creation of a universal, single-payer public pharmacare system in Canada, which would save Canadians an estimated $5 billion annually. However, a first draft version of the Liberal’s pharmacare bill was rejected by the New Democrats last week.
During the convention, some delegates demanded that Singh play hardball and leverage the agreement to advance further initiatives. While Singh received an 81 percent confidence vote from delegates, it is the lowest confidence vote for an NDP leader since Tom Mulcair in 2016. Singh acknowledged critics of his deal in a pre-recorded video, stating that he is focused on helping millions of Canadians.
If the New Democrats were to pull out of the deal, it would not trigger an election. Instead, the party would vote for Liberal legislation on a case-by-case basis. However, the New Democrats have expressed readiness to run a full slate of candidates in the next election, which must occur before October 20, 2025.
In addition to the pharmacare issue, the party also passed an emergency resolution addressing the Israel-Hamas war, expressing solidarity with all people in Israel and Palestine who yearn for peace, freedom, and security. During Singh’s speech at the convention, activists advocating for Palestine interrupted by shouting “free Palestine.” Four delegates who left the convention floor to join the activists had their credentials removed for violating the party’s harassment policy.
Despite the disruptions, the NDP remains focused on their convention and their commitment to fighting for the well-being of Canadians.