Skeena-Bulkley Valley's Taylor Bachrach enthusiastic for NDP-Liberal Supply and Confidence agreement in Ottawa

I got into politics to help people, to get things done. I also believe in cooperation and collaboration, which are among our most important Canadian values. -- Taylor Bachrach, MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley today on a just announced Supply and Confidence agreement between the NDP and Liberals

A significant announcement towards the prospect of a collective approach for two parties on the path forward in the House of Commons for the remainder of the term from the 2021 Federal election. 

With the NDP and Liberals announcing agreement of support on supply and Confidence that will provide for few surprises for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau through to 2025, that while securing some progress for a range of themes that the NDP have identified as important for Canadians.

Therefore, the parties agree to Delivering for Canadians Now: A Supply and Confidence Agreement from March 22, 2022 until when Parliament rises in June of 2025 -- From the text of the agreement between the Federal Liberals and NDP announced today.

In these highly uncertain and difficult times, Canadians expect us to come together and get to work to help make their lives better. The Liberal Party of Canada and Canada’s New Democratic Party have agreed to improve the way we approach politics over the next three years for the benefit of Canadians. The parties have identified key policy areas where there is a desire for a similar medium-term outcome. 

We have agreed to work together during the course of this Parliament to put the needs of Canadians first. This work will be focused on growing our economy by creating green jobs that fight the climate crisis, making people’s lives more affordable with housing and childcare, and expanding and protecting our healthcare. 

As the basis for this work, it is fundamental for the parties to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Both parties hope that by approaching this Parliament more collaboratively, we will be able to deliver on these shared policy objectives before the next election. -- the view of the Prime Minister on today's agreement between the NDP and Liberals

The process, which is similar to the path that John Horgan took with Andrew Weaver's Green Party in 2017, will ensure the survival of the Government owing to the the combined numbers of the Liberal and NDP members. 

In respect of that stability, the Federal Liberals will move forward on Dental Care, Pharmacare and housing legislation during the three year lead up to the next election period.

This morning Skeena NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, using his Social media feed,  hailed the agreement and what it could mean for Canadians, putting his focus on the three themes of note from the late Monday agreement that the two parties hammered out.

The full NDP overview of the agreement, an arrangement that had apparently been part of the negotiating since the results can in on election night of 2021 can be reviewed here.

The Prime Minister noted how the new spirit of collaboration between the NDP and Liberals will make for a shift from some of the partisanship and obstruction that is seen from the Federal scene these days.

The full Liberal review of the agreement is available here.

Not surprisingly, the Conservative Opposition is expressing its concerns over how the agreement in their view gives the Prime Minister a Majority government without the endorsement of the public.

Some observers suggest that is a wee bit of civics misdirection, and how the Liberal/NDP move is more of a political machination as opposed to the catchy slogan built for twitter coined by Interim Opposition Leader Candice Bergan of #Backdoorsocialism

What will be worth watching will be the pace of the three elements that make for the focus for the arrangement and how long it may take to bring them into legislation and then a full fledged program.

And that is where some media observes note that the NDP may have made a tactical error, rather than to hold the Liberals to account by way of a vote by vote hold of their confidence in the Liberal government.

Those themes and many more will be making for the review of the arrangement in the weeks, months and if all goes well between the two new dance partners, years ahead.

The first test will come up shortly with a Federal Budget that now will have to be crated with some of the new themes included to indicate some early progress for the partnership.

For the NDP however, there is a cautionary tale to take note of from British Columbia, if the Federal MP's want to get a full picture of what could come ahead, they may want to contact the Green Party in BC and ask how that Supply Agreement with the Horgan NDP government went and how they fared as the junior partner in the following election of the fall of 2020 ...

For now it certainly buys all the parties of the House of Commons with a bit of time before an election, something that could have come at any time in the previous minority government situation and now at least until the two new partners have a falling out, could last through until 2025 and our next anticipated opportunity to cast a ballot.

You can follow the results of the Liberal/NDP deal through our archive page here, as well as through our political blog D'Arcy McGee and our Ottawa Observations Feature.