OTTAWA – The budget released on Tuesday shows how Canada’s NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and New Democrats have used their power to deliver results for Canadians at a time where people desperately need help with the cost-of-living. With another doubling of the GST rebate and dental care for children under 18, people living with a disability and seniors, millions of Canadians are going to save $1,700.
“Today’s budget shows that when New Democrats use our power, we get real things done for people,” said Singh. “This is a difficult time for Canadians. The cost of everything is up. That’s why we fought for a budget that saves you money and creates good jobs with better wages. Justin Trudeau voted against dental care twice and he didn’t want to double the GST rebate, but we didn’t take no for an answer. We fought and we got those things for working people. And if Pierre Poilievre had his way in this budget, there would be no dental care. Your pension, and the services that your family relies on would be cut to benefit the big bosses.”
CBC: An Afghan military interpreter made it to Canada — but his siblings were forced back to Afghanistan
"What we're hearing on the ground from people is that people are getting deported, they are not getting to safety," the NDP's Jenny Kwan said.
Her party is calling on the Canadian government to lift the 40,000 cap on the number of Afghans it wants to bring here, calling it an arbitrary limit.
Hill Times: Immigration minister defends department’s multi-million-dollar contracts with McKinsey, but lawyers describe resulting product as ‘crappy’
NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s immigration critic, attended the Feb. 15 House Government Operations Committee meeting so she could question Fraser, who appeared virtually from his constituency in Nova Scotia.
Kwan pointed out that immigration consultants and lawyers have testified at the House Immigration Committee “to talk about what a disaster the transformation in digital processes is,” Kwan said. “In certain areas, they are saying that they can’t upload documents, and when they do spend hours doing it, the system crashes.”
Kwan pointed out that immigration consultants and lawyers have testified at the House Immigration Committee “to talk about what a disaster the transformation in digital processes is,” Kwan said. “In certain areas, they are saying that they can’t upload documents, and when they do spend hours doing it, the system crashes.”
“The minister, I’m sure, is aware of all of this. And so this is what we bought? $24.8-million?” she queried.
Fraser acknowledged the system isn’t running smoothly right now.
“I would suggest that we’re in the middle of a major transition and the system we’re working with now is predominantly the legacy system … rather than a fully modernized system, which will be available and fine-tuned after a few years,” he offered.
“I appreciate the new system, but the reality is it’s not working very well,” Kwan retorted. “So if McKinsey was actually spearheading this, $24.8-million of tax dollars on this is not a very good job, I have to say.”
Fraser acknowledged the system isn’t running smoothly right now.
“I would suggest that we’re in the middle of a major transition and the system we’re working with now is predominantly the legacy system … rather than a fully modernized system, which will be available and fine-tuned after a few years,” he offered.
“I appreciate the new system, but the reality is it’s not working very well,” Kwan retorted. “So if McKinsey was actually spearheading this, $24.8-million of tax dollars on this is not a very good job, I have to say.”
CBC: Poilievre accuses Trudeau of ignoring election interference by China
NDP MP Jenny Kwan said Friday the government should be more transparent when it's briefed on foreign interference.
"They cannot try to shield this information just because it may be that it's the Liberal who will be benefiting, potentially, from these activities," Kwan said in an interview.
"The issue here, for me, fundamentally — irrespective of parties — is about our democratic system. Something that I think sometimes we take for granted, but for me, as an immigrant … is something that I absolutely cherish.”
Media Release: Liberals are falling behind in delivering homes Canadians can afford
OTTAWA—NDP Housing Critic Jenny Kwan issued the following statement in response to a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) on the Liberals’ failure to meet their housing goals for Canadians, while a recent report shows a 10.7 per cent hike in rent prices since one year ago:
“The NDP is echoing a major concern raised by the PBO in a report: the Liberal government is failing further and further behind its own housing goals because it isn’t accounting for inflation. Meanwhile, the Liberal government’s failure to keep up with the housing needs of Canadians amid a housing crisis is contributing to a whopping 10.7 per cent hike in rent year-over-year.
Van Sun: Federal government kicks in $1.8 million to revitalize Vancouver's Chinatown
Monday, the federal government chipped into the revitalization by announcing a $1.8 million grant through the PacifiCan Tourism Relief Fund. About $1.3 million will go to modernizing and upgrading the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Gardens.
The remaining $500,000 will be used to expand the Light Up Chinatown Festival, a two-day event in September that brought an estimated 10,000 people to Chinatown last year.
Canadian Press: 'Incredibly frustrating' visa delays could thwart another Montreal conference
"It is really an embarrassment on an international scale, and we've seen this happen before," said NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan.
She said she's had constituents complain about visa woes, and timelines posted online suggest measures such as the event codes are not improving the department's ability to process applications.
"They said that they will learn from these lessons, and prevent it from happening again. But the reality is persisting, and if anything, it's actually getting worse," Kwan said.
Media Release: Reality Check: Where is Poilievre on health care?
Media Release: NDP blasts Liberals for failing to crackdown on greedy corporate landlords
“Under this liberal government, the cost of rent for Canadians went up 60 per cent,” said Kwan. “Liberals are letting corporate landlords rip off Canadian families by jacking up rent when they bring in a new tenant, and vacancy rates are lower than ever.”
Kwan says that the Liberals are making it easy for corporate landlords to get a profitable pay day on the backs of Canadian families struggling to find a home they can afford in their own communities.
“Letting corporations and speculators turn our housing market into a casino for the ultra-wealthy is wrong,” added Kwan. “But the Liberals have turned their backs on renters. When are the Liberals going to crackdown on the profiteering of corporate landlords that is keeping families from finding a home they can afford?”
Media Release: Expansion and extension of Lifeboat scheme for Hong Kongers step in the right direction but more needs to be done
Right from the beginning, Kwan and advocates for Hong Kongers had pointed out to the Liberal government that the 5-year graduation rule meant that many Hong Kongers would not be eligible under the program. This was proven to be the case when it was revealed that as of the end of October last year, only 134 Hong Kongers had come to Canada under the lifeboat scheme.
"Since the lifeboat scheme was first announced in November 2020, I continually brought the concerns directly to the attention of the Immigration Minister. I spoke with him directly, had the issue studied by the Standing Committee on Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugees (CIMM) and most recently, CIMM issued a press release calling for action. Today's announcement is a step in the right direction. However, more needs to be done", added Kwan.
Hong Kong officials are working hard to promote the message that Hong Kong is returning to normal, however, the Hong Kong government is still aggressively using the national security law to persecute dissidents, journalists and including those who participated in the primary election of the Legislative Council. Too many Hong Kongers find themselves accused of violating the national security law. For the lifeboat scheme to be effective, the Canadian government recognize this and lift the criminal record check requirement for these Hong Kongers.