Good morning.
Hello everyone.
For over two years Canadians have worked hard to overcome incredible challenges.
The sacrifices and hardships of the pandemic have been greater than we could have imagined.
Thousands lost a loved one; businesses struggled as we all stayed home; moms, dads and kids
had to adapt to a new reality while seniors suffered in isolation.
The federal government had the backs of Canadians, and Canadians rose to the moment with choosing
compassion, hard work, and resilience.
Today, Vladimir Putin's criminal war in Ukraine is causing even more uncertainty.
This devastating war has created a major humanitarian crisis in in Europe.
It is also disrupting global supply chains, causing food and energy prices to rise, and
destabilizing financial markets.
The war in Ukraine is having a heavy impact on global trade and the price of things we all rely on.
Canada, alongside her democratic partners, is helping Ukraine defend itself against authoritarianism.
It’s the right and the necessary thing to do.
And Canadians are responding to these challenges with the same resolve and resilience they've
demonstrated over the last two years.
Even in tough times, Canadians are as determined as ever to build a better future for themselves,
for our children and grandchildren, and for the rest of the world.
Six months ago, Canadians gave Parliament clear marching orders: to deliver on this
better future by investing in a strong and growing middle-class, more good well-paying
jobs, economic growth and climate action, housing and childcare affordability, better
health care, and continued reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
The message from Canadians was as clear as the mandate they gave Parliament: work together
to put people and families first, deliver results and build a better future.
This is what Canadians expect from their politicians.
Today, I'm announcing that the Liberal Party has reached an agreement with the New Democratic
Party to deliver results for Canadians now.
This Supply and Confidence Agreement starts today and will be in place until the end of
this Parliament in 2025.
What this means is that during this uncertain time, the government can function with predictability
and stability, present and implement budgets, and get things done for Canadians.
I’ve thought long and hard about this; it was not an easy decision.
With so much instability around us, Canadians need stability.
We're different political parties, we stand for different things, but where we have common
goals, we cannot let our differences stand in the way of delivering what Canadians deserve.
That's why we're taking this step.
Both parties have identified key policy areas where we share similar objectives, and we've
agreed to work together to put the needs and interests of Canadians first.
This agreement is not about compromising the core beliefs of either of our parties or denying
the differences between us; what it is about is making sure that those differences don't
stand in the way of delivering for Canadians.
We both believe firmly in Parliament's role of keeping the government accountable; this
agreement maintains that critical function.
We’ll continue to engage in healthy debate with each other and disagree on things, just
like we’ll also continue working with other parties in the House of Commons to reach consensus
and make progress together.
This is what working together constructively is all about, and we look forward to working
with any Parliamentarian from any party who wants to deliver for the good of all Canadians.
Today I am announcing that the Liberal Party has reached an agreement with the New Democratic
Party to deliver results for Canadians now.
This supply and confidence agreement takes effect now, and will remain in effect until
the end of this Parliament in 2025.
In the meantime, the government can operate with stability and predictability to deliver
results for Canadians.
I want to be very clear that this agreement will not compromise the fundamental values
of either of our parties.
We will continue to have healthy debates and disagree on certain points, just as we will
continue to work with the other parties in the House of Commons.
But Canadians elected this Parliament to deliver results, and that's exactly what we've achieved...
why we've reached this agreement today.
Nobody benefits when increasing polarization, dysfunction, or obstruction dominate our parliament,
when toxic partisanship prevents us from agreeing on simple truths and facts.
When parliament doesn't work properly, progress stalls on the important and urgent issues
Canadians expect solutions to.
This agreement is about focusing on what we agree on instead of what we disagree on, on
what unites us instead of on what divides us.
Every piece of legislation will continue to get the scrutiny it merits, committees will
continue to do their essential work, and Members of Parliament will continue representing their
constituents in holding the government to account.
Our priorities are the same ones that Canadians gave to Parliament in the last election.
First, we will improve health care.
We need to make investments to reduce the pressure on health care systems as a result
of the pandemic.
We must ensure that Canadians receive the care they deserve, including more doctors,
nurses, mental health resources and support for seniors.
Together, we will continue to make progress towards a universal drug plan, and we will
also launch a new dental plan for low-income Canadians that will help them manage the rising
cost of living.
We will make life more affordable.
We know that rising housing costs are putting real pressure on Canadians, so we'll keep
building affordable housing.
We’ll also crack down on unfair practices and implement a home buyer's bill of rights,
and we’ll deliver changes that make owning a home more accessible for middle-class families
and first-time home buyers.
Families can count on us to continue delivering the change they deserve.
That's why we’ll keep investing so that $10-a-day childcare is a reality for all families
in Canada, because we believe that every child should get the best start in life and that
every parent, especially every mom, to be able to afford to pursue the career they want.
We will fight the climate crisis and create good, well-paying jobs for the middle class.
We'll reduce pollution, speed up the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies, invest in training
for workers and help families make their homes more energy efficient.
Of course, we'll also continue our work to reach our climate goals.
We will deliver a better deal for Canadian workers, including ensuring that 10 days of
paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers starts as soon as possible this year,
and continuing to support labour unions.
We will keep moving forward on truth and reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
As part of this we’ll make more investments in Indigenous housing this year, continue
addressing violence against Indigenous women and girls, and be there to support the survivors
of the residential school system.
We will deliver a fairer tax system for the middle class by addressing the profits made
by financial institutions during the pandemic, and we will work together to strengthen our
democracy and eliminate barriers to voting and participation.
All these are things that we had in our platform; all these are things that we committed to
Canadians that we would work hard on, and constructively on, and that's what this agreement
is about.
It's about fulfilling the clear mandate Canadians gave parliament by improving the way we do
politics so we can act now to deliver good jobs, climate action, more affordable housing
and childcare, a stronger middle class, and a better, more prosperous future for everyone.