“Today, my heart goes out to the George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan as they process the devastating discovery of 14 potential unmarked burial sites close to the former George Gordon Indian Residential School. Indigenous Peoples across Canada feel this pain as we are once again reminded of the genocide that was perpetrated and still goes on to this day.
The Prime Minister has promised to take significant steps to help communities heal and find truth, but many Indigenous communities still lack the resources they need.
New Democrats continue their calls for the Liberal government to give Indigenous Peoples the truth and justice they are owed.
MEDIA RELEASE - Liberals are failing our loved ones by refusing to fix long-term care
“During the pandemic, our loved ones in long-term care suffered or died due to a lack of proper care. The pandemic has shown us the devastating costs of government inaction and neglect in our health care system – drastic changes are needed to support seniors.
Justin Trudeau promised long-term care workers, residents, and their families better support and more funding during the 2021 campaign. He broke that promise. While the Liberals promised an $9 billion investment into improving the quality and availability of long-term care homes, Budget 2022 included only $1 million in new spending.
MEDIA RELEASE - NDP holds town hall to talk about ways to fight against hate
As part of the NDP’s effort to tackle systemic racism and discrimination, earlier this year, Julian tabled a bill that would prevent anyone from selling and displaying symbols that promote hatred. The symbols that would be banned are Swastikas and other Nazi emblems of the genocidal regime, Klu Klux Klan symbols and the Confederate flag, symbols of slavery, racism and of white supremacy.
“Symbolic gestures don’t eliminate hateful and violent crimes against Indigenous people, Black, Asian and other marginalized communities,” said Julian. “We need real action with tangible objectives. People are tired of hearing pretty words. They want their government to stop the spread of hate in our communities. And this bill is one of the tools that the NDP is putting forward to combat hate, racism, discrimination and extremism.”
IN THE NEWS: Hill Times - Liberals have misplaced priorities for immigration, say opposition MPs
“Some of the funding allocations within the budget were misplaced. The government’s priorities are out of place, as it seems that they’re putting more energy towards strengthening the bureaucracy that has contributed to the government’s failure, than helping to resettle, and to process applications, and [address] the backlog,” said NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.) in an interview.
Kwan said the government needs to provide further transparency about what exactly the purpose of these funds will be, particularly as they are going to CBSA and CSIS—two organizations that are not exactly tasked with welcoming asylum-seekers in.
“When they say they’re strengthening the integrity of the government system, maybe what they can do is strengthen the integrity of the system by ensuring that applications are processed in a timely manner,” she quipped.
MEDIA RELEASE - We must eliminate Islamophobia and all forms of racism from our systems of government
“New Democrats are appalled by how the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is reportedly treating Muslim organizations like the Muslim Association of Canada. We see clearly that Islamophobia and other forms of racism continue to exist in our systems of government. Not only does this pose a threat to the well-being of our communities, but it also hurts the social fabric of our country. We welcome the legal challenge launched on Wednesday.
Last summer, nearly 100 Muslim organizations and civil society groups sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to reform the CRA’s auditing processes, which they allege unfairly target Muslims.
Global NEWS: Trudeau defends Canada’s resettlement of Afghans, says ’there’s much more to do'
NDP MP Jenny Kwan on Wednesday called for the government to waive documentation requirements for Afghan refugees and streamline the process to allow people to enter Canada quicker.
Kwan said in a statement that the government had requested “even more documentation” from family members of Afghan interpreters’ families seeking asylum. She said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had emailed the interpreters stating they had 30 days to submit additional documents for their resettlement or their applications could be refused.
“The families have already submitted abundant documentation to IRCC when they first applied. Now, eight months later, the government is putting up more hurdles for [them],” Kwan said.
“While the families flee for their lives in Afghanistan, the government is burying their loved ones with more onerous paperwork. For some, this may as well be a death sentence.”
Kwan called for the Liberals to waive the documentation requirements, issue single travel journey documents to the family members to reach a third country and organize evacuation flights to reunite them with their loved ones in Canada. The NDP is also calling on the government to waive the refugee determination requirements and allow the families to apply for the special immigration measures from within Afghanistan.
“Former Afghan interpreters are part of the Canadian military family — they deserve recognition,” Kwan said.
“Former Afghan interpreters are part of the Canadian military family — they deserve recognition,” Kwan said.
MEDIA RELEASE - The Liberals must stop giving a free pass to the ultra-rich and make them pay their fair share: NDP
In last week’s federal budget, New Democrats used their power to make big banks and other financial institutions pay a little bit more of their fair share after making record profits. New Democrats are calling for these measures to be extended to big box stores and big oil companies making record profits so that the money can be reinvested in solutions that make life more affordable for you and your family.
“When the cost of food, housing and gas for your cars goes up faster than workers’ wages, it’s like getting a hefty pay cut — it’s not fair,” said Blaikie. “Rich CEOs are lining their pockets on the backs of struggling Canadians. It doesn’t have to be this way. Instead of maintaining a rigged system that benefits the wealthiest, we need to fix it by making sure those at the top pay their fair share. By doing so, we can invest more in healthcare, build affordable homes, and create good jobs that help fight the climate crisis for Canadians.”
MEDIA RELEASE - Liberals’ fail to protect Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people
WINNIPEG — NDP Critic for the Status of Women, Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) is asking why the Liberal government didn’t allocate new funding in last week’s budget to implement the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Since the inquiry released its findings in 2019, the Liberals have yet to release a national action plan with targets, timelines and funding to address this ongoing genocide, and their inaction is costing Indigenous women their lives.
“Rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls have dramatically increased during the pandemic, and the Liberal government keeps stalling on implementing all Calls for Justice,” said Gazan. “Last week’s budget was yet another opportunity for the Liberals to show that they are truly committed to a plan backed by real funding to implement the Calls for Justice, but again they’re failing to do what’s necessary. They chose to give billions to big oil companies while leaving out much needed investments to make life safer for Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. This is unacceptable.”
CTV NEWS: Treat our families as well as Ukrainian refugees: Afghan interpreters
NDP critic on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Jenny Kwan criticized the government for subjecting interpreters to "even more bureaucratic red tape" just days after the interpreters held a protest and began a hunger strike to highlight their plight last month.
Kwan cited an email to Afghan interpreters from immigration authorities saying they have 30 days to submit additional documents or their families' applications may be refused.
"While the families flee for their lives in Afghanistan, the government is burying their loved ones with more onerous paperwork," Kwan said. "For some, this may as well be a death sentence."
Globe NEWS: Former Afghan embassy guards plead with Ottawa: ‘Please don’t forget us’
NDP Immigration critic Jenny Kwan said the Prime Minister is making up excuses for not providing the travel documents, especially for security guards and interpreters who received high-security vetting to be able to work at the embassy.
”Frankly they are running out of excuses. People’s lives are on the line,” she said. “People are not saying help us get out of Afghanistan. They are saying give us the travel documents so we can get out of Afghanistan and to safety.”
Ms. Kwan emphasized that the House of Commons Immigration committee unanimously passed a motion last week calling on the government to simplify the processing for Afghans, as it has for Ukrainians fleeing Russian aggression.
Mohammad, who worked at the embassy as a full-time guard since 2013, said the Taliban are hunting Afghans who worked for Canada and other Western countries and they are getting help from informants.
He and his wife and three young children are in hiding. They abandoned their home in Kabul and are relying on safe houses to avoid being caught by the Taliban.