NDP MPs gather in Edmonton to talk strategy and unfinished business in deal with the Liberals

The NDP is going into the next sitting of Parliament looking to cross some more items off its legislative agenda — things like a landmark pharmacare bill, anti-scab legislation and help for fossil fuel workers facing the transition to a low-carbon economy.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his caucus are meeting in Edmonton from Tuesday to Thursday. They'll be discussing the coming spring budget and getting the Liberal government to fulfil its remaining commitments under the supply-and-confidence agreement with the New Democrats.

A recent shakeup among top party brass appeared to be aimed at focusing the party's attention on those remaining commitments.

The party's former national director, Anne McGrath, has taken on a new job focused solely on negotiating the completion of the supply and confidence agreement (which New Democrats call «SACA» for short) with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government.

«We have things that we want to get done, and those things are really important to Canadians,» said McGrath, more than a week after she was named Singh's principal secretary.

In March 2022, the NDP agreed to support the minority Liberal government on confidence votes in the House of Commons in exchange for action on New Democrats' policy priorities. According to the terms of that deal, which is set to expire in 2025, the Liberals still owe the NDP legislation — including pharmacare legislation that could lay the groundwork for extending drug coverage to more Canadians.

«We're in the lead-up to an election … and we need to get a few things across the finish line, pharmacare being one of them, but also sustainable jobs and the anti-scab legislation,» said McGrath.

«There's a lot in that agreement that needs some attention … Having