By Canadian Press

Liberals, NDP reach deal on COVID-19 aid, averting election

Sep 25, 2020 | 3:06 PM

OTTAWA – The minority Liberal government has reached a deal with the New Democrats that all but guarantees there won’t be an election over the throne speech.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the agreement over legislation to support workers means that millions of Canadians will qualify for paid sick leave.

Singh says the Liberals had proposed a measure that would have provided sick leave for far fewer Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liberal throne speech introduced Wednesday needs the support of at least one of the major opposition parties for the minority government to survive a confidence vote.

Without today’s deal, Canada likely would have been forced into a federal election just as parts of the country are in a second wave of the pandemic.

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The Opposition Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois had already made clear they will vote against the throne speech, which spelled out the Liberal government’s priorities heading into next year.

The Canadian Press