“Today is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, a time to celebrate the progress that’s been made around the world to end discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ people and embrace sexual and gender diversity.
Thanks to the tireless work of advocates and community leaders, we have come a long way in the fight for equal rights and against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. But there is a lot of work left to do in Canada and around the world to ensure we're always standing up against the hatred and discrimination.
MEDIA RELEASE - NDP urging the government to defend Canadians getting gouged at the pumps instead of helping big oil companies profit
OTTAWA – As the price of gas reached over two dollars per litre in most parts of the country today, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging the Liberal government to help Canadians struggling with the rising cost of living. While Canadians are getting gouged at the pumps, big oil and gas companies are making record profits. In a Parliamentary motion, Singh is calling on the Liberals to stop giving billions of dollars of public money to oil and gas companies and reinvest those funds in renewable energy and solutions that make life more affordable for Canadians.
“Canadians have been through a lot in the last two years of the pandemic. They’ve been isolated from their loved ones and now, the price of gas is so high people are cancelling the trips they had planned to see their family and friends because they simply can’t afford the trip,” said Singh. “While people are making these sacrifices, oil and gas companies like Suncor and Cenovus are making record profits. Instead of helping Canadian families with the cost of living, the government continues to give billions of dollars in subsidies to oil and gas companies who are already making a fortune. It makes no sense. New Democrats are calling on the government to stop helping to maximize corporate profits and start defending Canadian families.”
MEDIA RELEASE - Liberals are failing to address police violence
“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.
IN THE NEWS: Global News - Advocates rally in support of abortion rights in Vancouver
Vancouver-Mount Pleasant NDP MP Jenny Kwan also addressed the crowd.
She told Global News that while what is happening in the U.S. is “horrifying,” Canadians should remain focused on the right to access safe abortion here.
“While it is true that abortion is legal here in Canada, the reality is that many communities do not have access to abortion services, and sexual health services for the LGBTQ2+ community, for the trans community is also not available if you happen to live in a remote community, in a rural community,” she said.
She told Global News that while what is happening in the U.S. is “horrifying,” Canadians should remain focused on the right to access safe abortion here.
“While it is true that abortion is legal here in Canada, the reality is that many communities do not have access to abortion services, and sexual health services for the LGBTQ2+ community, for the trans community is also not available if you happen to live in a remote community, in a rural community,” she said.
Kwan argued the Liberal government is not doing enough to ensure abortion services are available to Canadians everywhere, pointing to the battle in New Brunswick over Clinic 554.
New Brunswick’s provincial government refuses to fund abortions at the clinic, the only facility in the province providing surgical abortions outside of a hospital. In response, the federal government withheld some health transfers to the province, but the clinic’s operator was forced scale back services.
New Brunswick’s provincial government refuses to fund abortions at the clinic, the only facility in the province providing surgical abortions outside of a hospital. In response, the federal government withheld some health transfers to the province, but the clinic’s operator was forced scale back services.
MEDIA RELEASE - The Pope’s visit must be more than a symbolic gesture
“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.
MEDIA RELEASE - Liberals continue to spend billions in Trans Mountain Pipeline funding
“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.
MEDIA RELEASE - NDP calls on government to put more money back in Canadians’ pockets
“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.
IN THE NEWS: National Post - Fraser pressed on why Immigration has not approved 2,900 Afghans who helped Canada
OTTAWA — 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.
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.
Kwan said she is planning to pursue the matter vigorously with the department as the lives of Afghans who helped Canadian troops are in danger from the Taliban.
She also plans to ask if the Immigration Department has lost files of Afghan interpreters who want to come to Canada, saying the government has “betrayed them.”
She also plans to ask if the Immigration Department has lost files of Afghan interpreters who want to come to Canada, saying the government has “betrayed them.”
IN THE NEWS: Global News - Immigration minister pressed on applications of 2,900 Afghans who helped Canada
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.
MEDIA RELEASE - Corporate pandering by Liberals and Conservatives puts housing prices out of reach
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.”