Singh Pledges to Stop Liberal Cuts to Health Care in First Budget « Canada’s NDP
OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh pledged today that New Democrats will fight to stop Mark Carney’s Liberals from pushing through $28 billion or more in cuts to health care and social programs.
“We’ve seen this before—when the Liberals start talking about discipline, it means deep cuts to the services families count on,” said Singh. “New Democrats won’t let them balance the books on the backs of working people. We’ll be there to hold the line.”
Singh warned that without a strong NDP in Parliament, Canadians risk living through a repeat of the 1990s—when the Liberal government slashed health care, sold off public assets, and gutted provincial transfers. With no New Democrats there to stop it, those cuts were deep, fast, and lasting.
“They’ve done it before—and now they’re trying again,” said Singh. “If Mark Carney wins a super-majority and Pierre Poilievre is the only one across from him, you’ll get the worst of both—no one will be there to stop the cuts and working people will pay the price.”
The NDP is warning that Carney’s $28 billion in proposed reductions would mean fewer nurses, longer waits, and even deeper cracks in a public system already stretched thin. Meanwhile, Poilievre’s plan to slash public spending and cut corporate taxes would be devastating.
The next federal budget will be one of the first decisions the new government makes. New Democrats are ready—with clear priorities for that budget and the first year in office:
- Protect and expand public health care — Family doctors for all, hiring more nurses and frontline staff, delivering Pharmacare starting with essential medicines, and stopping privatization in its tracks.
- Affordability for everyday people — National rent control, a grocery price cap, and real EI reform so workers aren’t left behind.
- Tax fairness — Ending handouts to big corporations and closing loopholes so the ultra-rich finally pay what they owe.
“New Democrats will always fight to protect what makes Canada, Canada,” said Singh. “That means investing in health care, tackling the cost of living, and making the ultra-wealthy pay their share—so working people aren’t the ones carrying the weight of Trump’s tariffs.”