Latest News

MEDIA RELEASE: New Democrats Force the Liberals to Act: Wins for Everyday Canadians

Whether it’s sky-high rent and housing costs, gas pump gouging, or record-high grocery bills – working families are feeling the squeeze of inflation as big box stores and CEOs earn massive profits. At the NDP caucus retreat in Halifax last week, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh reiterated ​urgent calls for inflationary relief measures ​to address the affordability crisis.
New Democrats used their power in the minority parliament to get wins for everyday people, forcing the Liberals to finally agree to ​take action on a historic expansion of Canada’s healthcare system through the establishment of a dental care program for families earning less than $90,000 without insurance and an increase to the Canadian Housing Benefit – real measures that will help household budgets. 

IN THE NEWS: Van Sun - Ottawa bumps up social housing funds for shortchanged B.C.

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.”

OPEN LETTER to Deputy Prime Minister on accesibility of Business of Development Bank of Canada funding

This letter is regarding the accessibility of the recently announced Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) funding to support business owners who have currently closed their businesses due to the COVID- 19 virus, specifically those in the food and beverage sector. This is understandably an incredibly difficult time for many businesses, who are complying with government recommendations to close their doors to ensure that adequate social distancing is maintained to prevent further spread of this virus. This loss of business has created obvious financial and emotional stress for business owners and they are in desperate need of the Governments support.

Vulnerable Populations in the COVID-19 Response

On March 16, 2020, I raised concerns about COVID-19 Pandemic Measures for vulnerable populations in an open letter, jointly with Vancouver-Kingsway MP Don Davies, to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and all members of the Cabinet Committee on the federal response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19):

 

OPEN LETTER to Deputy Prime Minister Covid-19 pandemic measures for migrant workers in Canada

There are currently two umbrella programs in which temporary labour migration streams are grouped under: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP). Data provided from the IRCC, Temporary Residents, from 31 July 2019 show that in 2018 there was 84,116 permit holders in the TFW Program and 254,520 permit holders in the International Mobility Program. In total, that is over 338,600 people working under temporary work conditions as of 2018. That means over 338,600 people will disproportionately suffer if the government does not act now.
For weeks, New Democrats have been calling on the government to make sure no one falls through the cracks in this pressing time. As demonstrated, TFWs are a particularly vulnerable group during this time.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has publicly stated the window to contain the spread of COVID-19 is closing rapidly. Therefore, we request that the Government takes urgent action to immediately implement increased access to Healthcare services, and appropriate EI benefits so that
TFWs will not disproportionately suffer, and that this is communicated effectively to these groups.

OPEN LETTER to the Deputy Prime Minister - COVID-19 Pandemic measures for vulnerable populations

We are hearing very urgent concerns from constituents about taking immediate action to protect vulnerable people in our communities. We are especially concerned, now that we have confirmed that community transmission is occurring, about those in East Vancouver who would fall into high-risk categories for serious impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of health as well as in terms of the social indicators of health.

Front-line workers in health care, housing, outreach and harm reduction are sounding alarms because many of the public health advisements regarding “flattening the curve” of COVID-19 outbreaks, including social distancing, self-isolation, and aggressive hygiene practices are simply not available choices to the hundreds if not thousands of people in our constituencies who are homeless, who are staying in shelters, who are “couch-surfing”, and constituents who live in very inadequate housing. For these constituents, advice about social distancing and maintaining a distance of at least two meters from other people is simply impractical. Likewise, the advice to conduct frequent hand-washing with soap and warm water is not practical, especially if you are homeless and do not have predictable access to a washroom or clean running water.

OPEN LETTER to Deputy Prime Minister on pandemic measures for vulnerable populations

We are hearing very urgent concerns from constituents about taking immediate action to protect vulnerable people in our communities. We are especially concerned, now that we have confirmed that community transmission is occurring, about those in East Vancouver who would fall into high-risk categories for serious impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of health as well as in terms of the social indicators of health.
Front-line workers in health care, housing, outreach and harm reduction are sounding alarms because many of the public health advisements regarding “flattening the curve” of COVID-19 outbreaks, including social distancing, self-isolation, and aggressive hygiene practices are simply not available choices to the hundreds if not thousands of people in our constituencies who are homeless, who are staying in shelters, who are “couch-surfing”, and constituents who live in very inadequate housing. For these constituents, advice about social distancing and maintaining a distance of at least two meters from other people is simply impractical. Likewise, the advice to conduct frequent hand-washing with soap and warm water is not practical, especially if you are homeless and do not have predictable access to a washroom or clean running water.

IN THE NEWS: CBC - NDP MP immigration critic pushes back on new foreign worker regulations

Jenny Kwan, the NDP MP for Vancouver East and the critic for Multiculturalism, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship says, it's a good first step, but the changes don't go far enough to protect all migrant workers. She wants the government to provide migrant workers with open work permits and landed status when they come to Canada.

"If they're good enough to work here, aren't they good enough to stay?" asked Kwan.

Kwan says the new regulation doesn't help the 27 foreign workers she's currently trying to get open permits for.

2019 Budget Speech

Mr. Speaker, people in Vancouver East expect their government to make life affordable, sustainable and fair for all Canadians. They expect their government to be on their side.

    In Vancouver East, I have heard from my constituents time and time again that we need real measures to make life affordable for Canadians, that we need immediate and urgent action to protect our climate and environment.

    On behalf of the constituents of Vancouver East, I have been strongly advocating for measures such as affordable housing, public universal pharmacare, environmental protections, climate action and tax fairness. Instead, we now have a country faced with many crises.

 

MP Jenny Kwan Statement on the Federal Government Quietly Offering Settlement to Halt Lawsuits Over Parent Immigration Program

On January 28, the IRCC website opened to accept Interest to Sponsor applications from family members wishing to apply for family reunification under the Parents/Grandparents Program. Within 7 minutes, the application process was shut down. 11 minutes after the application opened, IRCC announced via Twitter that the annual limit had been reached and the application was closed. 

The media revealed that a number of individuals who were not able to submit an application to reunite with their loved ones under the parents/grandparents reunification process filled a lawsuit against the government. The Federal Liberal government then quietly settled with the litigants by offering them 70 coveted spots in the parents/grandparents sponsorship program. 

The fact that the government quietly offered a side deal to 70 families who threatened to sue the Liberal government is indicative that the process is inherently flawed and unfair. With this side deal, the Minister is effectively telling Canadians that you have to take the government to court to be treated fairly. It should not have come to this. All families want to do is be reunited with their loved ones. They should not have to go through such pain and anguish to be with their parents or grandparents. They certainly should not have to threaten to sue the government. Our process should be one that is open, accountable and fair. 

Sadly the Liberal government’s handling of this file has been deplorable from the beginning – whether it’s following the Conservative’s process that allowed people with resources to get in front of the line, or the Liberal’s process based on the luck of the draw lottery system, or this flawed and unfair online system, all have been a miserable failure.

It is time for the Liberals to do what is right: allow families to make their applications in a fair and orderly fashion by lifting the arbitrary cap on family reunification.​

Member Statement: Hastings Elementary students show real climate leadership

On May 13, 2019 I give a Member Statement in honour of the real climate leaders of our time: young people, like the Grade 6&7 students of Hastings Elementary, and everyone who took part in the May 3 climate strike.

IN THE NEWS: Star - Aside from ’nice words’, Liberals aren’t far from Conservatives on immigration, says NDP critic

“The Liberal government can say all these nice words and make themselves sound different from the Conservatives,” Kwan said in a phone interview. “But while the Conservatives’ policies targeted immigrants, for instance with Bill C-24 (Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act) as second-class citizens, the Liberals’ fixes are just creating new problems.”