Jagmeet Singh pledges to protect Quebec from Trump’s attacks « Canada’s NDP
MONTREAL – Surrounded by several of his star candidates in Montreal, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh pledged to protect Quebec from Trump’s attacks, including a vow to keep rules that protect Quebec’s French language and culture, water, hydroelectricity, lumber and supply management off the negotiating table.
“Donald Trump wants to destroy our country and everything we hold dear, and that includes Quebec. The nation of Quebec is one of the prides of Canada, and we must do everything we can to protect it from Donald Trump’s attacks,” said Singh. “That’s why I vow that negotiations with the United States will never, ever include the rules that protect Quebec’s French language and culture, water, hydroelectricity lumber or supply management. We will never sacrifice Quebec for a fascist. And every candidate for prime minister should make the same commitment.
“Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been trying to make Canada more like the United States to please Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Like Carney, he thinks the solution is to give tax breaks to millionaires. Governments have tried that, it doesn’t work. The priority must be to support our workers – not billionaires.”
Singh also reiterated that Ottawa must put in place emergency relief measures for workers impacted by Trump’s trade war, such as changes to Employment Insurance. He also reiterated his commitment to creating good union jobs by strengthening domestic manufacturing and supply chains and building the infrastructure Canada needs, including funding for home-building projects put at risk by the tariffs.
“In every crisis, it’s always the workers who pay first, not the CEOs. Right now, the government has announced nothing to protect Quebec workers. The government has had 30 days to prepare, and time is running out,” said Singh. “Premier Legault has said Quebec could lose 160,000 jobs. All the workers, all the union leaders I talk to tell me clearly that we need urgent EI reform and investment to create good jobs to produce more of what we need, at home.”