Jagmeet Singh talks timeline on Liberal deal and presence in Burnaby

Jagmeet Singh doesn’t have an exact timeline in place for when the NDP could pull out of the confidence and supply deal with the Liberals, but he is adamant that the government must take action on the healthcare crisis for his party to keep that agreement going.

In an interview with Burnaby Beacon on Monday, Singh, who is also the MP for Burnaby-South, said he takes the current deal “very seriously because I know that one of the things [about] having an agreement put in place is [it provides] some stability [and] for people some predictability and I think that’s important.”

The confidence and supply deal was announced in March when the NDP agreed to support the Liberal’s minority government in future votes in the House of Commons and on four budgets to prevent an election before 2025.

In exchange, the Liberals committed to making advances on several key policy issues “where there is a desire for a similar medium-term outcome” for both parties.

Over the past few months, there has been progress made on some NDP priorities, such as the introduction of a stop-gap dental health benefit for kids under 12 from low-income households and the $500 Canada Housing Benefit top-up.

But last week, Singh said that the NDP could withdraw from the deal if the Liberals do not address urgent issues with Canada’s healthcare system.

“…The healthcare system is in a crisis and the federal government has a role to play in that crisis and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is missing in action, in my opinion, and not showing up to meet with premiers, look for solutions, [and] present solutions to deal with the crisis,” he told the Beacon.

Last Friday, Canadian premiers called on Trudeau to attend a sit-down meeting with them to discuss healthcare funding, specifically their request for the federal government to increase the Canada Health Transfer from 22% to 35%.

Trudeau told the Canadian Press that the solution wouldn’t be to “throw more money at the problem” and that he will not commit to increasing funding unless premiers commit to healthcare reform in their provinces.

No specific timeline

When asked for a specific timeline he’d give for Trudeau to address pressing healthcare matters–like the influx of sick children needed emergency room care, delays for urgent care and non-essential surgeries– before withdrawing from the agreement, Singh did not provide a specific answer but instead reiterated that immediate action is needed.

“The timeline I would put to the prime minister would be the timeline that Canadians are asking for: which is immediately. We need help right away,” he said, adding that he “doesn’t want to find an excuse to trigger an election.”

“My goal is is to force the government to act and so that’s why I’m putting the ball back in their court.”

Presence in Burnaby

The Beacon also asked Singh about his presence as an MP in Burnaby and if he thought he was accessible enough to his constituents in Burnaby-South.

Singh acknowledged that he does notice the difference between the time he can spend and connect with his community as a federal party leader and MP compared to his previous role as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario.

“I was a member of provincial parliament before, so just purely not a leader and focused on my riding and I could tell the difference in the amount of time I was able to spend in my riding. And I also was a local MPP where I went to parliament in Toronto and lived in Brampton so I would be back in my community every day,” he said.

He noted that at a federal level, responsibilities as party leader means he has obligations to be in Ottawa.

“So that feels different and I miss that availability that I had before,” he said.

“I miss it on a community level to be able to able to be there for the people I represent and I feel l miss it on a personal level because I just love being around here. But being national and being a leader has definitely put more obligations on my time and my responsibilities. So I definitely feel that myself. …I think there is certainly a balancing of my time that means I’m not able to be as present as I would love to be in my riding because of my responsibilities as a leader.”