Singh’s NDP have become Liberal patsies
Dear Editor:
The NDP’s search for relevance continues in a world where they’re consistently outdone by the Liberals as the party of the left. Even organized labour has abandoned them for the Liberals.
Now we see Jagmeet Singh supporting the minority Liberal government’s plans to continue to govern with minimal input from Parliament until Sept. 21 in return for a vague undertaking to offer workers 10 days of paid sick leave. Such labour legislation falls under provincial jurisdiction, so this is really just an exercise in virtue signalling.
Opposition parties normally take every opportunity for greater profile in Parliament, including criticizing government actions and offering constructive alternatives. That should motivate the NDP to push for a return to a fully functioning Parliament. Instead, they’ve let the Liberals continue to bypass our Parliamentary processes.
COVID-19 isn’t a sufficient excuse to suspend our Parliament. Even the Chinese National People’s Congress convenes in the Great Hall of the People with all of their ornamental delegates seated cheekby-jowl in face masks. If a bunch of Communists in a one-party system can show up for work, why can’t a group of well-paid socialists do so in a democracy?
If our elected representatives decline to do their jobs during a national crisis, let’s give them layoff notices and put them on the CERB along with many of their constituents. To add insult to injury, MPs gave themselves another pay raise on April 1. What a job; don’t come to work, draw full pay and benefits and get a pay raise to boot.
Singh is like the classroom spring butt who is always leaping to his feet with the first answer, even though it’s wrong. His proposals seem like a cry for attention more than anything else.
Thomas Mulcair had gravitas and would have done better for everyone.
Kelowna-Lake Country MP Tracy Gray made an impassioned appeal in Parliament for all MPs to get back to work and restore our democracy. Why can’t the South Okanagan have an MP like Gray who will fight for our democracy instead of rolling over for the Liberals?
John Thompson, Kaleden