Workers can count on New Democrats to fight high cost-of-living « Canada’s NDP

October 17, 2022 at 9:00 am  Federal, Politics

Canada’s NDP Leader made it clear that while Liberals and Conservatives side with big bosses, New Democrats stand with working families

OTTAWA – In a speech to workers, labour leaders and unions gathered at the Canadian Labour Congress’ council meeting today, Canada’s NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh laid out his plan for working families amid the rise of inflation.

“It’s a tough time for working people across our country. Despite unemployment being low, inflation is at a record high, and it sounds like a recession is coming. In every crisis, there are winners and losers. But under the system the Liberals and Conservatives have built, workers are always the one paying the price while greedy CEOs are getting richer and richer.”

“I have seen workers get ripped off by their employers. A rigged system built by Liberals and Conservatives to give more power to the bosses and less to workers. That’s why I chose to run for the NDP, that’s why I decided to run under Jack in 2011. Because I knew that only New Democrats would be ready to change that. And this motivation to make things better for workers still motivates me 11 years later. I would even say, it is stronger than ever.”

“Workers are the backbone of our country. There is no ‘growth’ without workers. There is no ‘profits’ without workers. There is literally nothing functioning in our society without workers. And yet, workers get called greedy or lazy when they ask to be paid decently or to get decent working conditions. We often hear: ‘We can’t afford to pay workers a decent wage.’ But what we never hear is: ‘We can’t afford to pay CEOs millions of dollars a year.’ I’m tired of this.”

“In my twenties, I had to work three jobs so I could take care of my little brother. I’ll never forget the worry that I wouldn’t be able to provide for him, no matter how hard I worked. I don’t want anyone to ever feel that way — that’s why I’m in politics. But right now, so many across the country feel that way. And many are angry because they feel like they are doing everything right but keep falling further behind. They see big corporations’ profits going up twice as fast as inflation. And workers’ wages not keeping up. They see clear evidence of ‘profit-driven inflation’ or ‘greedflation.’ And they see Justin Trudeau not doing anything about it and Pierre Poilievre wanting to make it even worse.”

“Now more than ever, Canadian workers need results. They need someone that will show up for them. And that’s what I have tried to do since the last election. Liberals didn’t want to do anything to help people with inflation. And Pierre Poilievre’s solution was to tell working families to invest in crypto – and then it crashed.”

“On one side we have the Liberals who say nothing, and on the other we have the Conservatives who want us to do nothing. We kept fighting and now we are putting money back in people’s pocket with the GST tax credit, the interim dental benefit for kids under 12 and the Canada Housing Benefit.”

“Let me be clear – Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are no friends to working people. Every step of the way they side with the wealthiest, and leave working families to fend for themselves. But they’re not the only ones who stand with the big bosses instead of you. As Cabinet Minister in Stephen Harper’s government, Pierre Poilievre did everything to fight workers and make their lives harder. Poilievre voted twice against the minimum wage. And despite having a pension for life since the age of 31, he’s spent his time making it harder for workers to retire. Since being elected as leader, he’s spent his time fighting CPP and EI. That’s your pension. And that’s your security if you unexpectedly lose your job. And who is it that benefits from cutting CPP and EI? Not you. It lets rich CEOs and the companies they head take more than half a billion dollars they were supposed to put into your pension and add it to their profits instead. And what do they do with profits? Pay big bonuses to the big bosses.”

“New Democrats have always stood shoulder to shoulder with working people. For us, it’s part of our DNA. It’s not something we put on when it’s convenient and then ignore when the rich and powerful come knocking like the Liberals – or the Conservatives. The NDP is here for you and it’s time we deliver results for working people. It is time we give more power to workers. It is time we give workers the respect they deserve in Canada.”

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