NDP threatens stalling tactics, end of agreement with Liberals over slow pace of pharmacare talks

The federal NDP has warned its Parliament Hill staff to prepare themselves for the possible sudden termination of the party's supply-and-confidence deal with the Liberals — a bipartisan cooperation agreement which may be holding off an early election.

A senior NDP source who was not authorized to speak publicly told CBC News the party held a meeting Tuesday to tell staffers that, with negotiations with the Trudeau Liberals on pharmacare dragging on, the deal could be headed for an early grave.

The source also said the party is looking to ramp up the pressure on the government by withholding support for measures that speed up debate on legislation in the House of Commons, such as time allocation and evening sittings. Time allocation allows the government to set limits on how long debate can continue before a vote is called.

A source told Radio-Canada the party could slow down the adoption of a key piece of government legislation implementing the fall economic statement. It could also withhold help from Liberal MPs in committees in the face of political manoeuvring by other parties.

"We are tired of the messing around," a senior NDP source said in French.

"The Liberals promised [pharmacare], they signed the agreement, now they have to deliver the goods," said another party source.

The source said conversations with the government on pharmacare have been productive but challenging because the Liberals have yet to offer any concrete commitments. A source told Radio-Canada the NDP has not received a counteroffer on pharmacare from the government since December.

According to the wording of the supply-and-confidence agreement — which sees New Democrats support the government on key votes, staving off an early election in a minority Parliament — the NDP demanded passage of a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023. In December, the two parties agreed to extend the deadline to March 1.

"We need a final version of the bill ready for March 1," another NDP source told Radio-Canada in French.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has been ramping up the pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his recent statements.

"If the agreement is broken, all the conditions of the agreement are therefore broken," Singh said on Feb. 5.

Singh met with Trudeau on Monday. The two meet occasionally to discuss the terms of the supply-and-confidence agreement.

The pharmacare negotiations appear to be getting more complex the longer they continue. New Democrats are insisting on a drug plan that is entirely public and universal. They're also calling for early coverage of certain key drugs before the complete pharmacare plan is in place — a condition that was not part of their original agreement with the Liberals.

"It's clear that we are not always on the same wavelength" a Liberal source familiar with the state of the negotiations told Radio-Canada in French. "But we're willing to have difficult conversations."