Jagmeet Singh and the NDP will continue fighting for Canadians in new Parliament

OTTAWA – After months of delay and a selfish election by Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government, MPs will return to the House of Commons today to continue to work for Canadians. This morning, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh outlined the party’s priorities for getting Canadians the help they need, to fight the climate crisis and to help families find a home.

“We are seeing the number of COVID-19 cases going up across the country and experts are warning of a potential fifth wave. Canadians need help to recover from the pandemic. Now more than ever, they need a government who will work for them,” said Singh. “But for the past six years, Canadians have heard Justin Trudeau repeatedly make big promises. With the Throne speech tomorrow and over the next four weeks in the House, he has an opportunity to show Canadians that he means what he says and prove that he's actually going to deliver the help people need. Now is the time to move past symbolic gestures and empty words. The Liberal government must act immediately to help Canadians face the climate crisis and help make their lives more affordable.”

With the House of Commons back in session, the NDP is looking for investments in a move to a renewable future, with a focus on helping workers find good jobs in renewable energy and helping prepare communities in the face of the climate crisis. They are also calling for real investments to help make life more affordable for people, starting with building half a million new homes and helping people find a home to rent or buy in the community where they live and work. New Democrats have been clear that they want to see real investments in health care, particularly on help to address the nursing shortage, pharmacare, dental care, mental health care and increased health transfers to the provinces.

“There is so much work to be done to get people the help that they need and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. If the government wants to pass legislation to make Canadians' lives better then they can count on us. If they’re going to pass laws that hurt Canadians, then they can count on other parties as they have done in the past,” said Singh. “New Democrats are going to stand up for the things that matter to Canadians like addressing the climate crisis and ensuring people have a place to live that they can actually afford. We can improve health care services with pharmacare, dental care and mental health care. We can also take better care of our frontline health care workers and ensure everyone has the sick leave they need to keep themselves and their families safe. New Democrats will keep fighting for you.”

Singh also stressed that, in addition to longer term goals, there are things that the government can do immediately to improve the lives of Canadians. The NDP is asking that the government immediately stop the clawbacks to the Guaranteed Income Supplement and Canadian Child Benefit which are leaving seniors and families in a desperate situation, stop fighting Indigenous kids in court and legislate two weeks of paid sick leave without further delay. Immediately bringing forward legislation to ban conversion therapy is also a step the Liberal government can do to show Canadians they’ll back up their promises with real, concrete action.