Tentative deal to keep Canada's Liberals in power until 2025

A senior government official in Canada says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party and the opposition New Democratic Party have reached a tentative agreement that would see Trudeau’s Liberals keep power until 2025

TORONTO -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party and the opposition New Democratic Party have reached a tentative agreement that would see Trudeau’s Liberals keep power until 2025, a senior government official said Monday night.

The official said the agreement still needed approval from NDP lawmakers but the leadership of both parties had signed off. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Trudeau’s Liberal party won re-election last September but failed to win a majority of seats in Parliament and must rely on the opposition to pass legislation. The leftist NDP party will support Trudeau’s Liberals in exchange for deals on pharmaceutical and dental care plans but it will not have a lawmaker in Trudeau’s Cabinet, the official said.

“The NDP-Liberal coalition is nothing more than a callous attempt by Trudeau to hold on to power,” interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said in a statement.