NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has once again supported the Liberal government’s agenda, this time their 2024 budget, despite having “serious concerns.”
Singh’s confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals requires him to do so in exchange for the Liberal’s giving into some of the NDP’s policy demands.
Singh said that his party supports the budget because the Liberals included free birth control, free diabetes medications and devices, a food aid school program, and a renter protection fund.
The statement comes two days after Singh said he was still undecided, citing the need for more “clarity” regarding the Liberals’ intentions to resolve issues with the Canada Disability Benefit program.
“New Democrats fought for some concrete wins in this budget, they’re going to make life better for people,” Singh told reporters Wednesday.
While Singh also criticized certain aspects of the budget, he was mostly vague about what he called “serious concerns.”
On Tuesday, Liberal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland denied accusations that her party was aiding the insurance business over the new disability benefit.
Singh said there are potential adverse effects of provincial clawbacks on the actual benefits received by people with disabilities.
“We cannot accept a scenario where people living with disabilities are worse off because of a benefit,” he explained, calling the hypothetical situation an “abject failure.”
Singh also expressed deep concerns about the lack of sufficient funding for Indigenous communities, saying they need improved housing and infrastructure.
