NDP leader rolls out party plan
During stop in St. John’s, Jagmeet Singh vows to target cost of living issues
Giving people a leg up on life is the key aim of the New Democratic Party’s campaign in this fall’s federal election, the party says.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in St. John’s on Tuesday to outline the party’s plan and to support candidates Jack Harris in St. John’s East and Noel Joe in Coast of Bays-central-notre Dame, who joined him for a news conference.
“In Newfoundland and Labrador right now there are a lot of struggles. People are finding it hard to find a home. We’ve got twice the national average when it comes to unemployment,” Singh told those gathered at the Newfoundland Housing and Homelessness Network in St. John’s.
“Things are getting more and more expensive. People are working harder and harder and are not getting ahead. Whether it is finding rental spaces or child care — which is among the most expensive in Canada — tuition fees and the interest rates that are charged on top of those. Or cellphone bills that are more and more expensive.’’
All of those issues and the impending increases in electricity bills with the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project coming online in the future have residents of this province in dire straits and concerned for their futures, Singh said.
“There is a lot of fear (about Muskrat Falls), a lot of concerns around the potential increase in rates.”
That is concerning to me as well. I want the folks of Newfoundland and Labrador to know a New Democratic government is going to work with the province, to make sure we are there to support the community,’’ he said.
“We don’t know exactly what that will look like just yet. We are waiting for the letter that traditionally the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador releases every election, (to) make sure we know exactly what the community is looking for, what exactly the province is looking for, and that we can provide the supports and work with the province to provide those supports.”
Other things that are of concern for residents of this province, and across the country, include drug coverage, a competitive annual wage, affordable housing, child care for families at an affordable rate and a better employment insurance program with benefits that help those who require it to help make ends meet, Singh said.
“If your last name is Weston — or connected to SNC Lavalin — you get all the help you need. If you are a regular family out here, trying to make ends meet, you don’t get the help,’’ he said.
Singh said he wants to work toward free dental care, and he doesn’t understand why you can get open-heart surgery in Canada, but not get your dental care covered.
In addition, he said students are graduating with more and more debt, which is a huge burden on them starting out their lives. His plan is to waive interest for students who carry this debt.
“I also want to end the gouging by cellphone companies to make it more affordable. We have the highest rates in the world. (We) need to put in a price cap like they have done in the U.S. and Australia,’’ Singh said.
To fund all of these things, Singh is proposing that people with a net worth of more than $20 million will pay a tax that can garner more than $10 billion a year. He also proposed drug savings through a universal plan that would see the government buy medications in bulk and offer them to each of the provinces at a reduced rate, saving around $4 billion initially and growing the further they get into the process.
Helping to make this happen should he gain re-election is Harris, who represented the people of St. John’s for several terms before losing to MP Nick Whalen and the Liberal wave in 2015.
He took his time away to become more well-versed in a number of areas and issues, and get re-energized to make this run.
“I know that many people are worrying about making ends meet in St. John’s East and want strong representation in Ottawa,’’ Harris said after the news conference on Tuesday.
“With the NDP, we have a plan that stands up for everyday people — investing in health care, child care — and making sure everyone can afford to build a good life.”
Singh has a strong connection to this province, having spent the early part of his life in Newfoundland. That included six months in Grand Falls and the majority of his time in St. John’s, living across from Bowring Park.