Edmonton MP 'disappointed' in NDP pulling out of deal with Liberals

Randy Boissonnault, MP for Edmonton Centre, speaks at an event in Edmonton on Sept. 5, 2024. (CTV News)

An Edmonton MP is disappointed in the federal NDP’s decision to pull out of a supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals, as he said the parties accomplished a lot under the deal.

Speaking Thursday, Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault said his party will find other support to continue working for Canadians.

“What we're going to do now is go back to the way that minority parliaments always used to work, which is, you gotta have an agreement every time there's a confidence vote that goes in front of the House of Commons,” Boissonnault said.

“And so we'll do that work. We'll look for a party that will support us on legislation.”

Boissonnault said programs introduced with NDP support, such as national pharmacare and dental care plans, will continue “full steam ahead.”

Alberta’s premier has said the province will opt out of those programs, as she hopes to secure federal funding to expand provincial programs instead.

Jagmeet Singh, the federal leader of the NDP, warned an early election could be coming after his party pulled out of the agreement with the Liberals on Wednesday.

“Trudeau's liberals can’t deliver change. They are too weak, and too selfish to stop Pierre Pollievre and the conservatives, and let me be clear, the Conservatives’ cuts will take things from bad to worse,” Singh said.

Singh ripped up the deal with the Liberal government, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “let Canadians down.”

The deal was set to expire next June. The House of Commons is expected to resume Sept. 16.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Chelan Skulski