Liberals still support policies promised in deal with NDP, health minister says

By The Canadian Press on September 9, 2024.

Health Minister Mark Holland says more than four-fifths of dental providers are now participating in his government's dental-care program, and some 600,000 Canadians have taken advantage of it. Holland makes an announcement on the Canadian Dental Care Plan at a dental office in Ottawa, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

TORONTO – Health Minister Mark Holland says his government will still work on policies it promised to pursue under its now-defunct deal with the NDP.

A week ago, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh ended the pact between the New Democrats and the minority Liberals, before some of the measures had come to fruition.

Those include a yet-to-be-tabled Safe Long-Term Care Act, the continued expansion of dental care and the implementation of a pharmacare bill that is still being studied in the Senate.

Holland says the Liberals still care about those things and they will now operate on a case-by-case basis when it comes to Parliament.

The minister says he talks “all the time” with the Bloc Québécois, along with the NDP, about how they can work together.

The Bloc indicated this week that it is willing to prop up the minority government in exchange for moves it sees as gains for Quebec.