The deal to keep Trudeau in power is contingent on action on these NDP priorities this year

As the minority Liberals plot out their policy moves ahead of the 2023 parliamentary sitting, weighing heavily are commitments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh that have to be acted on this year in order to uphold the two-party confidence-and-supply deal. Here is what needs to get done to keep the deal alive.

As the minority Liberals plot out their policy moves ahead of the 2023 parliamentary sitting, weighing heavily are commitments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh that have to be acted on this year in order to uphold the two-party confidence-and-supply deal.

Inked in March 2022, the agreement injected what could be years of stability on Parliament Hill, seeing the NDP propping up the Liberals until June 2025—just ahead of the fixed election date in October of that year— in exchange for policy action on a suite of progressive issues. 

In the first year, there was progress on a few key elements of the agreement, including the first phase of a national dental care program, boosts to rental and GST benefits, and the tabling of legislation aimed at protecting the Canada-wide early learning and child-care system. 

While not part of the two-party deal, Singh is now calling on the prime minister to make protecting the public health-care system a condition of any increase to provincial Canada Health Transfers. This, compounded by new polling suggesting that health care is a top national issue of concern and that Trudeau is appearing to be squeezed on the left, may challenge the two-party pact in the months ahead. 

This comes as several key pledges in the parliamentary pact are outstanding. While not all have time-specific deadlines, such as moving forward with 'just-transition' legislation, there are five specific commitments that the two sides have agreed need to be acted on within 2023. 

Making progress on these key items in order to keep the agreement alive is something the federal Liberal cabinet will be considering as it gathers in Hamilton, Ont., next week for a retreat.

Speaking to reporters during a multi-day strategy session with his caucus in Ottawa this week, Singh offered a reminder that he's willing to pull his support if the Liberals fail to uphold any element of the agreement.