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IN THE NEWS: CIC News - Canada planning major Express Entry changes

“I am troubled by the fact that there is no parliamentary oversight as to what these groups will be,” Kwan said to the committee. “There’s no process as to whether these groups will be fair, or how effective [the government] will be in selecting people who would provide economic contributions to Canada.”
“Without a transparent selection process where industries are able to provide formal submissions on which occupations are in need and an objective committee to determine the needs of these occupations, the process could become fodder for lobbying industries,” Kwan continued. “That’s not what we want. I think we need to have established criteria and a transparent process.”

MEDIA RELEASE - NDP statement on Huawei ban from Canadian 5G Networks

This delay to ban Huawei has cost Canadian consumers. The national security and privacy rights of Canadians was put at risk without good reason. The Liberals were the only Five Eyes government since 2020 not to ban or restrict Huawei, bringing unnecessary friction with our information sharing allies. During this time, the domestic telecom market has also been severely impacted as they were left in the dark about the future of 5G in Canada.
New Democrats have been united over the past two years in calling for Huawei to be banned from Canada’s 5G network. The risks of not taking action on this important decision we’re clear, yet the Liberals chose to delay, and now Canadians have paid the cost. This government has said that ‘it wasn’t a race’ to make a quick decision but Canadians deserve a real explanation about why the decision to ban Huawei from Canada’s 5G networks took so long."

MEDIA RELEASE - Liberals and Conservatives protect the profits of big oil companies instead of Canadians

OTTAWA – Today, Liberal and Conservatives teamed up to vote down an NDP proposal to stop giving billions of tax payer dollars to profitable oil and gas companies and instead reinvest that money in Canadians struggling to make ends meet. The government’s rejection of the NDP plan to help Canadians comes on the same day that inflation reached its highest rate since 1991.

“Canadians have been getting crushed by the soaring cost of living. The price of food and gas is so high that people struggling to take care of themselves and their families,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “What we proposed today is a way to get money back into people’s pockets to give them a little extra help to cover their growing costs. Its unthinkable that the Liberal government and the Conservatives teamed up to defeat our motion. They think public money should go to the oil and gas companies who are already making record profits instead of helping Canadian families. New Democrats know that’s wrong and we’re going to keep fighting to get people the help they desperately need.”

MEDIA RELEASE - NDP statement on International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

“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.

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.

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.

NDP Media Release: Liberals continue to spend billions in Trans Mountain Pipeline funding

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.

Instead of creating a long-overdue plan that would support our communities and help workers transition to a green economy, the Liberals continue with their failed approach. Despite evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that more action is urgently needed – this past month the Liberals also approved Bay du Nord, a massive $12 billion new fossil fuel project. This needs to stop.

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.