NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.

Singh says his party wanted time to digest the budget, but is ultimately voting in favour of it because of shared initiatives that it proposes.

That includes creating a national school lunch program and providing free birth control and diabetes medicine for anyone with a health card.

The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have previously said they wouldn't support the budget.

The minority Liberals needed the support of at least one other party to get the budget passed.

The New Democrats are supporting the government on key votes in exchange for progress on shared priorities, as part of a political pact signed a little over two years ago.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.