Daniel Blaikie
1111 Munroe Avenue, R2K 3Z5 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Join Daniel Blaikie and Don Davies, NDP Health Critic on Sunday October 4th at 1pm CT for a Facebook Live Town Hall on Healthcare in Canada. Questions can be posed by: 1)Commenting on this post 2)Emailing [email protected] prior to the event 3)Live during the event as we stream onto our Facebook page by commenting on the feed.

Long before the pandemic we knew that long-term care needed more investment to ensure seniors with complex health needs get the care they deserve. The Conservative’s shameful response to that need in Manitoba was to cancel the upgrade and expansion of Park Manor Care Home in Transcona immediately after their election in 2016. Meanwhile, Liberals in Ottawa continue starve the health system of needed federal dollars under the same funding model proposed by Stephen Harper. We c...an, and we must, do a better job of long-term care across the country. Before the pandemic and since, the NDP has advocated in Ottawa for meaningful federal investment in long-term care. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//Seniors-cannot-wait-any

While Canadians were worried about how they were going to pay their bills, the Liberals were busy preparing a throne speech that simply rehashed old promises. With the non-event of the throne speech behind us, I was glad to get back to work to negotiate better benefits and sick days for Canadians struggling with the pandemic. Check out some of my public reaction to the throne speech in these stories published in the Winnipeg Free Press and Winnipeg Sun last week.... https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//liberals-accused-of-inv https://winnipegsun.com//manitoba-politicians-bemoan-feder

Just wrapped up a long but interesting day of debate in the House of Commons with a vote to replace #CERB with a new benefit and establish a first of its kind paid sick leave for all Canadian workers courtesy of the #ndp. It’s not all of what we wanted, but it’s better than what we started with. Much accomplished, more to do. Thanks to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and NDP colleagues Peter Julian Alistair MacGregor for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford and Gord Johns MP for Courtenay-Alberni for serving with me on the late night crew!

CERB expired yesterday. The government finally began debate on its replacement today. The NDP fought against the Liberals’ proposed cut to benefits and pushed to establish the first ever sick leave for all Canadians. Government reluctance created a far-from-perfect program, but it is an important step in the right direction. ... To learn more about the benefits and the process that brought us here, watch the full speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG9frZkt1Y8

The stories in this article reinforce a few important points: (1) It was wrong for the Liberals to prorogue Parliament in August instead of allowing us to work on the legislation needed to replace #CERB. (2) The #NDP's effort to maintain the $2,000/month benefit is going to mean a lot to hardworking Canadians who have not been able to get back to work since the pandemic began.... (3) Since the government chose not to advance its legislation over the last 5 weeks, Parliament must now act quickly to get new measures in place to support Canadians. https://www.cbc.ca//cerb-ei-switch-anxiety-confusion-1.573

A quick update from Daniel what’s been going on in Ottawa and the work he and his NDP colleagues have been doing for Canadians. -Team Blaikie

The pandemic made it crystal clear that creeping privatization and funding cuts in healthcare have left our seniors vulnerable, especially those who depend on long-term care . . . to the point that in some parts of the country the army had to be called in to shore up the system. Long before the pandemic we knew that long-term care needed investment. It was shameful then that the Conservative government in Manitoba, as one of its first acts, cancelled the upgrade and expansion... of Park Manor Care Home in Transona. All the more is the shame now that we can all see clearly the harm that that kind of short-term thinking does. The federal government has an important role to play in providing funding and leadership for higher standards and better care when it comes to long-term care, access to prescription drugs, home care, palliative care and many other facets of healthcare in Canada. New Democrats continue to provide consistent advocacy for a health system in Canada that leaves no one behind.

Join Daniel Blaikie and Laurel Collins, MP for Victoria, NDP Environment and Climate Change Critic on Sunday September 27 at 7pm CT for a Facebook Live Town Hall on a Just and Sustainable Recovery. Questions can be posed by: 1)Commenting on this post 2)Emailing [email protected] prior to the event 3)Live during the event as we stream onto our Facebook page by commenting on the feed.

Join Daniel Blaikie and me for a discussion on Employment Insurance, CERB and the new realities of working in the world of COVID. Pose your questions in the comments field!

The Liberals blocked Parliament from its final summer sitting on the promise of a grand vision. We now know it really was only about avoiding scrutiny on the WE charity scandal. After much fanfare, the Speech from the Throne had hardly anything new in it.... At least it's over. Now we can get back to work and do what we should have done at the end of August, prepare a good plan to replace CERB. The NDP is fighting to make sure families who need it will continue to get $500 per week instead of the cut proposed by the Liberals. See the full exchange here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gArW0id-4JY

The pandemic will be the best opportunity in a generation or more for Canada to build a social safety net that works for all Canadians in a way that addresses the climate crisis. It’s been an honour to sit as a Vice Chair on the NDP’s Building for Better Task Force. I’m excited to share the work we’ve done tonight!

Trek to Ottawa Really appreciated some good quality family time this morning before heading off on the drive to Ottawa for the first three weeks of the new session. The next few weeks will see Parliament decide what form of income support will replace CERB. ... We will see if the government genuinely wants to work with other parties in the House, or whether they would rather push the country into a fall election that hardly anyone believes is in the public interest. We will see if parties that have resisted adapting Parliament to the circumstances of the pandemic are willing to compromise now that MPs are having to self-isolate while Parliament sits, including during a potential confidence vote. The next few weeks will be important weeks for the country. New Democrats are working to ensure that needs of real people are the first priority on the government’s agenda, rather than the back room antics WE learned all about this summer. I am honoured by the opportunity to represent the people of Elmwood-Transcona during these trying times and grateful to have a family who supports that work.

Meet us in Transcona Square this Saturday September 19 from 1 to 3 PM. We will follow Covid-19 precautions. Mask use is encouraged. See you then.

The pandemic has put so many Canadian families in a tight spot. The NDP has been fighting against the foot dragging in Ottawa to ensure Canadians get meaningful help throughout the crisis. After shutting down Parliament with a prorogation, the government wants to relaunch its scandal-ridden reputation with a Speech from the Throne. But the problem with this government isn’t what they say in public, it’s what they do in private while dragging their feet on their public commit...ments. Tomorrow Jagmeet will lay out what a New Democratic government in Ottawa would do to see Canadians through the next chapter of the pandemic and build for a better Canada on the other side. He’ll be speaking tomorrow at 10 am CT. Tune in on his Facebook page to watch live.

Since the pandemic, as the NDP’s Employment and Workforce Development Critic, Daniel has been at the centre of negotiations about EI and the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The stories and struggles of people in ElmwoodTranscona have informed his work... and helped to make a real difference for working and vulnerable people across the country. To read more about the work he's done see here: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net//Daniel_Blaikie_hous See more

your two cheques will cover your rent and a bit of food. You buy macaroni for a month. Anything else, extracurricular hobbies, passions or anything of that stuff is just impossible. Even owning a pet is too expensive. I had a cat but I had to give her up because of the cost of food and vet bills. And I loved her, you know? I have hard choices all the time. - "Surviving on minimum wage" The challenges of poverty are very real and concrete. While a simple mistake or misfort...une can land you in poverty, escaping the barriers and catch-22s that work to keep you there is anything but simple. This recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - Manitoba Office paints a compelling picture of the challenges faced by minimum wage workers who, despite working full-time, live below the poverty level. It dispels some of the myths about minimum wage, documenting that: - nearly half of minimum wage workers are 25 years and older; - almost a third of minimum wage workers have a post-secondary degree; - nearly half are working full-time; and, - over half have been at the same employer for over a year. Ensuring that minimum wage is set at a living wage is an important pillar of the fight against poverty and the effort to build and maintain safe and healthy communities. Some food for thought as we come off #LabourDay weekend. Check out the full report here: https://www.policyalternatives.ca//Surviving%20on%20Minimu

Long before governments were willing to legislate fairness of any kind for workers, members of the union movement were organizing to make their workplaces more safe, their hours of work reasonable and their compensation fair. At the beginning of the 20th century, the weekend wasn't a thing. Pensions weren't a thing. And workers were too often treated as a disposable resource. By the end of the 20th century, many people were back to working well over 40 hours a week. Very few ...people had a workplace pension. Contract work was being used to get around legislated benefits. And the gig economy legitimized employers feeling no sense of loyalty to their employees. In the middle, there was an era where - relatively speaking - people enjoyed a high sense of job security, benefits and, in many workplaces, a reliable, defined benefit pension plan. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was headed in the right direction. That middle period corresponds to the highest level of union density (the percentage of workers that belong to a union). That is not a coincidence. No union is perfect. Like all democratic organizations, they can only be as good as the participation of their membership allows. But there is no question that the union movement has made life for working people far better. The leverage created for working people through direct workplace action and wider political advocacy has raised wages, benefits and improved working conditions in ways that have benefited not only unionized workers, but the people who live in their communities and work in their industries. The satirical piece pictured in the photo is from the 1990s, but it could easily have been from the time of the Winnipeg General Strike or today. There are always people in the business community who want us to think that if you treat workers well the economy will fall apart. That simply is not true. As a proud member of the IBEW Canada and the Canada’s NDP / Le NPD du Canada, I am glad to be part of the ongoing struggle to ensure workers get their fair share of the economic pie. It is an incredible honour to be able to bring that message to the House of Commons on behalf of people in #ElmwoodTranscona. Happy #LabourDay !