(OTTAWA) New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh said on Monday his party is ready to withdraw from the “agreement of support and confidence” it signed with the Liberals if there is no federal action to resolve the “crisis of health care for Canadian children”.
This deal notably requires the New Democratic Party (NDP) to support the Liberal minority government on key votes in the Commons, with a view to not triggering elections by 2025. In return, the Liberals have promised to make progress on a number of new Democratic priorities, including health care.
While some of the terms of the agreement are quite specific, such as dental care, the articles on general health care simply refer to “permanent additional investments,” but don’t include specific timelines or amounts.
“If we don’t see any action on health care, we absolutely reserve the right to withdraw our support,” Singh said at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday.
“It’s a decision you don’t take lightly. […] Now is the time to keep pushing, because our goal is to save lives, to save our health system, to help workers, to help children. »
In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press later Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was ready and willing to give provinces more money for health care, but wants to ensure the government will see improvements in the system such as result .
As to whether Mr. Singh will withdraw from the deal, he says the health crisis is bigger than any deal with the NDP.
“I think if health care continues to be such a crisis point for so many Canadians, a deal with the NDP is the least of our worries,” Trudeau said.
“If we don’t improve our healthcare system, Canadians will start to lose faith in our country, in our institutions, in our ability to be there for each other. »
Mr Singh said he was particularly concerned about the “growing” problems in children’s hospitals across the country. He has called for an emergency debate in the House of Commons as children’s hospitals face an influx of sick children this autumn.
“We are at a breaking point,” Singh said. Our children are in danger right now. »
“Desperate Parents and Workers”
Just last week, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa asked the Canadian Red Cross to help staff treating a record number of infants and children with respiratory illnesses.
Meanwhile, Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary uses a heated trailer as an additional waiting room.
“In Quebec, in Montreal, the health workers – doctors and nurses – said it was unheard of, the worst they had seen in their lives, with desperate parents and children, with tired health workers,” Singh said.
“The prime minister lacks leadership, he has to meet the premiers and find solutions […] instead of blaming other prime ministers,” he said.
Mr. Singh has written to the Speaker of the House to give advance notice of the NDP’s request for an emergency debate, citing several alarming developments across the country.
A management memo from BC Children’s Hospital obtained by the Canadian Press shows that the hospital had to put two patients in one room due to the number of children in need of care. Similar measures have been used in the past during bad seasons for respiratory diseases.
Mr. Singh believes urgent government action should be informed by parliamentary debate.
Healthcare transfer
The House adjourned early Monday due to the death of Winnipeg Congressman Jim Carr, so the president has yet to respond to the call for an emergency debate.
Mr Singh wants Mr Trudeau to meet with provincial and territorial premiers to find a solution.
Last week, provincial premiers publicly reiterated their request to meet with the premier to reach an agreement to increase funding for their health systems, a request they have been making for more than a year.
Premiers reiterated their desire to see Ottawa cover 35% of healthcare costs nationwide, up from the current 22%, by increasing Canada Health Transfer.
During his interview with The Canadian Press, Trudeau did not pledge to meet with all prime ministers as requested. He said he spoke to them regularly about health care and that his ministers were also actively working on the issue with their provincial counterparts.
“I don’t think people care whether we sit together or not. I think people care about whether or not we can start fixing our healthcare system, and that’s what I’m focusing on,” she said.
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos last month proposed increasing Canada Health Transfer to provincial and territorial health ministers in exchange for better data sharing between provinces and territories, but no progress has been made on the issue.
The leader of the New Democrats explained on Monday that the conditions imposed in the “agreement of support and confidence” on health care are deliberately “flexible”, but he sees no urgency on the part of the liberal government.
“It’s not just about medical transfers – this is an immediate crisis that requires immediate action and a Prime Minister to step in and show leadership. »
With information from Ashley Joannou
