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Canadian Press: B.C. MP Jenny Kwan urges caution as Canada moves to mend trade relationship with China

 

In 2024, the RCMP publicly accused the Indian government of being involved in targeted acts of intimidation and violence against Canadians. Canada expelled six diplomats and India retaliated with by expelling six Canadian diplomats.

Kwan said the prime minister "would be wise to keep in mind that both of those countries attempted to undermine our Canadian sovereignty with foreign interference activities."

A public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian democratic institutions found that China and India are top perpetrators of foreign meddling in this country.

Kwan said it seems foreign interference has been forgotten since the election. Expanding trade beyond the U.S. is important, she said, but "it has to be in the context of" protecting Canada's sovereignty and democratic institutions.

"We cannot abandon that primary goal," she said.

Click link to read the news story - https://vancouversun.com/news/ndp-mp-urges-caution-canada-mend-trade-relationship-china

Canadian Press: NDP calls on Ottawa to do more to get approved refugees out of Gaza

OTTAWA - NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said Monday the government needs to do more to get people out of Gaza who applied for temporary visas through an extended family reunification program.

The program stopped accepting visa application on March 6, 2025, when the 5,000-applicant cap was reached. As of Aug. 1, just 860 people had arrived in Canada under the program.

Kwan, who held a press conference Monday in the foyer of the House of Commons alongside Palestinians whose family members are stuck in Gaza, said the government can find other ways to gather the necessary biometric data in war zones.

"There has been zero political will to try and bring people to safety. We have had situations whereby it is difficult for families to get their biometrics," Kwan said.

"So we are demanding action from the government. We want alternatives to the biometric measure, we want the government to evacuate and bring people out. We want the government and (Global Affairs Canada) to get on with it so we can negotiate exit visas."

The Canadian Press has reached out to Immigration Minister Lena Diab for comment but has not yet received a response.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/ndp-calls-on-ottawa-to-do-more-to-get-approved-refugees-out-of-gaza/article_12053642-d4b5-510c-be8b-a3f180ce5286.html

CPAC Headline Politics: NDP MP Raises Concerns over Gaza Family Reunification Program

Speaking with reporters on Parliament Hill, NDP MP Jenny Kwan raises concerns about the federal government’s temporary resident visa (TRV) program for Palestinian Canadians’ family members in Gaza.

She is joined by Omar Omar (founder of the Gazan Canadians League), Najla Alzaanin (Gazan-Canadian with family members awaiting evacuation under the TRV program), Hana Marku (immigration and refugee lawyer), and Gur Tsabar (member of Jews Say No to Genocide Coalition and The Movement Media Hub). (no interpretation)

Click link to watch the press conference in Ottawa - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mp-raises-concerns-over-gaza-family-reunification-program?id=bf9593e7-c636-446a-b77b-fab057086ae5

Hill Times: Build Canada Homes is ‘duplicating the bureaucracy’: NDP critic Kwan slams feds’ new affordable housing entity

The launch of Build Canada Homes, the new federal entity which will oversee affordable housing starts on federal lands, is an “extremely disturbing” step, says NDP MP Jenny Kwan, pointing to an existing federal body already capable of overseeing affordable housing initiatives.

“Better late than never, but boy oh boy, the Liberals have been asleep at the wheel for at least the last 10 years if they haven’t realized … you need to work in partnership with the non-profit sector, with the private sector, with provinces and territories in utilizing federal lands,” said Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s housing critic, of the new agency.

Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) announced the creation of Build Canada Homes (BCH) on Sept. 14 saying it would come with an initial investment of $13-billion, and a mandate to “build affordable housing at scale” by overseeing affordable housing builds on federal land.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/09/20/build-canada-homes-is-duplicating-the-bureaucracy-ndp-critic-kwan-slams-feds-new-affordable-housing-entity/473963/

The Tyee: Not Every Canadian MP Stood to Honour Charlie Kirk

In the letter, Johns tells his constituents he didn’t participate in the standing ovation.

“I do not support or share the views of Charlie Kirk or the hateful, divisive politics he promoted. His record of misogyny, xenophobia, racism and homophobia runs counter to the values I hold and the inclusive, just Canada we are all working to build,” Johns said.

He added that he abhors political violence: “A democratic society cannot function if people are attacked or killed for their beliefs, no matter how much we may oppose those beliefs. Violence and extremism — whether in the United States or here in Canada — tear communities apart and endanger our democracy.”

A statement from Jenny Kwan, Vancouver East NDP MP, said that none of the party’s MPs participated in the standing ovation. Kwan said she denounces political violence, but “anyone with a platform should always be mindful that political rhetoric that is incendiary, racist and dehumanizing is unacceptable.”

Click link to read the news story - https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/09/18/Not-Every-MP-Rose-Honour-Charlie-Kirk/

CPAC Headline Politics: NDP MP Jenny Kwan Discusses Arms Exports Bill

NDP MP Jenny Kwan speaks with reporters on Parliament Hill after tabling a private member’s bill. The legislation is aimed at closing loopholes in Canadian law related to arms exports.

Kwan is joined by arms control experts and representatives from civil society organizations, which includes Oxfam-Québec, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Independent Jewish Voices Canada and the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Click link to watch the press conference video - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mp-jenny-kwan-discusses-arms-exports-bill--september-19-2025?id=755fc44b-a0b7-4bb1-b972-855c673ec354

National Observer: NDP eyes comeback with a return to the left

Fear and frustration about Carney’s anticipated austerity measures and cuts to healthcare or social programs for vulnerable groups to pay for his pledge to boost NATO defence spending to five per cent of the GDP by 2035 were also discussed.

The defence spending expected to cost more than $150 billion — more than the amount transferred to provinces for healthcare — could be better spent on housing or other social programs, noted the MPs.

Carney has no mandate from voters for such massive spending to appease US President Donald Trump, said Jenny Kwan, MP for Vancouver East.

“Trump is driving our political agenda here through Carney,” Kwan said.

“He says he’s, ‘elbows up,’ but [we say] elbows up against Trump and the tariffs. Elbows up for Canada and sovereignty, and elbows up for Canada's identity because we are not the United States.”

Click link to read the news story - https://www.pentictonherald.ca/spare_news/article_c1e5d474-833c-5880-9fb2-3f6cbba554f7.html

Globe & Mail: Strong-borders bill could compromise cybersecurity in Canada, experts warn

Ottawa’s proposed strong-borders legislation could compromise cybersecurity in Canada by prohibiting electronic service providers from warning each other of vulnerabilities found in their systems so they can bolster their defences against hackers, experts warn.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the proposed legislation, known as Bill C-2, contains a “sweeping provision” that, if the bill becomes law, would introduce a secrecy requirement running counter to how cybersecurity works.

The “prohibition on disclosure” covering electronic service providers includes a ban on disclosing “information related to a system vulnerability or potential systemic vulnerabilities in electronic protections employed by that service provider.”

Bill C-2 is currently at second reading in the Commons. On Tuesday, NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan called in the Commons for the bill’s withdrawal, saying it was flawed and would give the government fresh surveillance powers and compromise Canadians’ privacy.

She said it could allow law enforcement to demand information, without a warrant, about whether Canadians have used a range of services, including psychiatrists.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-strong-borders-bill-could-compromise-cybersecurity-experts-warn/

Canadian Press: NDP seeking to scrap labour code section that lets Ottawa shut down strikes

Boulerice said the NDP contacted the House of Commons last week to start work on the private member's bill, adding that it should be tabled quickly because "it's not really complicated."

The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents some 10,000 flight attendants, overwhelmingly rejected the company's last wage offer in a vote on Sept. 6.

Hugh Pouliot, a spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said in a media statement the union has asked to bypass mediation and move straight to arbitration "given the unlikelihood of an offer that would be acceptable to our members."

"The union spent nine months bargaining in good faith with the company on wages and saw no evidence that an additional three days of mediation will yield an acceptable result," Pouliot said.

"The union is therefore seeking an expedited process that will put money in our members’ pockets and conclude this process as quickly as possible."

Click link to read the news story - https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/ndp-seeking-to-scrap-labour-code-section-that-lets-ottawa-shut-down-strikes/article_3ef54a4a-55a5-5f9a-9025-6aac9c65940e.html

Hill Times Jenny Kwan Op Ed: NDP keep fighting as new Liberal government’s honeymoon period comes to a close

To meet the eye-popping military spending commitment of five per cent of Canada’s GDP, there will be deep cuts to programs and services to Canadians.

Canadians elected new Liberal Leader Mark Carney as their prime minister to fight against American President Donald Trump. “Elbows Up” was the central message during the campaign, but the strategy Carney has taken so far has been to appease Trump. Counter-tariff measures are off the table. In the name of border security, government overreach that infringes our privacy and violates due process is being justified. Trump-like border and immigration measures are creeping in. Massive cuts to public services and programs are on the offer.

As Carney lay the tracks of his fiscal agenda, here’s what we have learned so far. Austerity is the name of the game, and to meet the eye-popping military spending commitment of five per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product, there will be deep cuts to programs and services to Canadians. Already, Carney has directed his ministers to cut operating spending of 7.5 per cent, 10 per cent, and 15 per cent to almost every other department over the next three years.