Two years ago, NDP MP Jenny Kwan protested that the federal Liberals were directing less than one per cent of their social housing budget to B.C., despite the province being home to 11 per cent of the nation’s population.
The stark imbalance has improved since Kwan aired her complaints.
“Since exposing that B.C. only got 0.5 per cent of the funding, I’m glad to report that more funds have begun to flow to B.C.”
The "supply-and-confidence" agreement struck between the governing Liberals and the opposition New Democrats could affect the kind of legislation Canadians can expect to see pass through Parliament between now and 2025.
According to the deal, those key policy areas are climate change, health care spending, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, economic growth and efforts to make life more affordable.
“Today, the inquiry into the death of Chantel Moore, an Indigenous woman who was killed by police in New Brunswick during a routine wellness check is set to begin. We hope this investigation into her tragic death will finally give her family and community the answers they deserve.
A wellness check, carried out by a police officer, should never result in death. This cannot be allowed to continue. The government has a responsibility to ensure systemic change so that all communities are served by police forces in Canada.
Sadly, there are many examples of police violence against Indigenous and racialized people. The Feminist Alliance for International Action’s (FAFIA) recent report found that there is a pattern of discrimination, harassment and assault against Indigenous women by officers of the RCMP.
“Indigenous peoples have long called on the Catholic Church to show leadership in the Truth and Reconciliation process. The news that Pope Francis will visit Canada is met with a myriad of emotions by the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The hurch’s role in the genocide perpetrated against Indigenous peoples still affects families and communities today.
While Indigenous peoples deserve an unequivocal apology from the Catholic Church, immediate action is urgently needed to ensure healing from crimes committed against Inuit, First Nations and Metis, at the hands of the churches.
“People across Canada are already living with the devastating impacts of the climate emergency. The increase of floods, forest fires and extreme weather has already cost lives.
Instead of taking the necessary action to save lives and ensure Canada meets its climate targets, the Liberals continue to throw billions of dollars at big oil companies. Yesterday, the Liberals announced $10 billion in public funding for the Trans Mountain Pipeline. This is the newest funding in a long line of examples where the Liberals have handed over public money to companies who are already making big profits – making it impossible for us to meet our climate goals. The announcement of the TMX funding comes only a few months after the Liberals promised that no more public money would be thrown at the Trans Mountain Pipeline – yet they continue to make people pay.
“People are anxious. They’re very worried about covering the costs of the everyday things they need, like gas and groceries,” said Singh. “Canadians are paying record-high prices at the pumps so that these big oil and gas companies can make more and more profits. This is exactly what is wrong with the system designed by Liberals and Conservatives – in times of crisis, the rich and powerful win – Canadian lose. It doesn’t have to be this way. New Democrats are urging the federal government to act and make things fairer for everyday Canadians.”
New Democrats are proposing that the government double the GST tax credit and increase the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for all recipients by $500. This would mean middle-class and low-income Canadians would get between $500 and $1000 to help them pay their bills. With these NDP proposals, at least 40 per cent of Canadians would get money back in their pockets to help with their growing expenses.
NDP caucus chair Jenny Kwan says she is seeking urgent answers about what has happened to the applications of 2,900 Afghans who helped the Canadian military.
Kwan is demanding Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explain why the Afghans, whose credentials were checked and verified by Canada’s military, have not had their applications to come to Canada approved.
Defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre told a parliamentary committee Monday night that the Defence Department had checked and verified the credentials of 3,800 Afghans, including interpreters, who supported the Canadian military.
But the committee heard from Eyre and Bill Matthews, deputy defence minister, that only 900 of them have had their applications to come to Canada accepted so far by the Immigration Department.
New Democrats propose real solutions to cool the housing market and provide affordable housing to Canadians
NDP Housing Critic Jenny Kwan and NDP Finance Critic Daniel Blaikie called on the government to help Canadians trying to afford a decent place to rent instead of allowing rich investors to buy up units and drive prices sky-high. Kwan and Blaikie shared Peggy Rafter’s story. Peggy is a low-income senior, who is facing renoviction from an apartment she’s lived in for 30 years. They were also joined by Bader Abu-Zohra, a local housing advocate and Co-Chair of the Ottawa-Vanier ACORN chapter.
"Huge corporations and wealthy investors are making big money by putting people like Peggy out of a home," said Kwan."The Liberals have to stop rewarding rich investors for buying up rental units and then jacking up the rent. This is what the financialization of housing means and it has to stop.”
OTTAWA—Yesterday, a report from the Parliamentary Committee on Transport Infrastructure and Communities recommended that the government abolish the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB). The Bank has widely been criticized for failing to address the needs of the communities it is supposed to help. While the CIB has received hundreds of project proposals, it has approved very few, neglecting projects which could help people in favor of a privatization agenda that helps maximize corporate profits at the expense of the public interests.
“Canadians are frustrated that the government isn’t investing in the infrastructure that communities desperately need in the face of the climate crisis. With the recommendation to abolish Canada’s Infrastructure Bank from the Transport Committee, the Liberals are at a crossroads because their current approach has failed,” said NDP Critic for Tax Fairness, Niki Ashton. “They have two options, let the Bank wither and die, having accomplished nothing but enrich their wealthy friends, or they can listen to reason, support my bill and use the Infrastructure Bank to support communities including Indigenous and Northern communities in the fight against climate change.”
OTTAWA –Yesterday, NDP critic for Foreign Affairs, Heather McPherson, pushed Parliament to recognize that Russia is carrying out a genocide against the Ukrainian people. For weeks, there has been mounting evidence that war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed against the people of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, including the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. McPherson says this motion is a confirmation that all parties agree about the severity of the situation and believes this is an important step to compel the government to provide more support for Ukrainians.
"Canadians are horrified by the reports they are seeing. The violence perpetrated by Putin and the Russian federation against the Ukrainian people must be labelled for what it is– a genocide,” said McPherson. “I moved this motion today to urge the government to do everything in its power to help Ukrainians who are fleeing violence. The government has been telling Canadians they’re doing everything they can, but we recently learned that the Liberals acted so slowly with their economic measures that a Russian oligarch had time to move his wealth --over 100 million dollars--before sanctions were imposed. The point of the motion is to reiterate our solidarity with Ukrainians as they fight through unspeakable violence and atrocities, and to put as much pressure as possible on the government to address the situation with the urgency needed.”