Haldimand-Norfolk NDP Riding Association

The Liberals wanted to cut help for people relying on CERB by $400, we fought back and got them to reverse their cut. When we convinced them to make sick days available, they made them too hard to get, we fought back. Now millions of people won’t be forced to go to work sick.

We salute the teachers and educational support staff who went beyond even their usually quite substantial call of duty to safely implement measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Many teachers are faced with mountains of extra work, unusual working conditions, online course requirements on top of their usual workload, and the ever-present threat of bringing COVID-19 home to their own families or losing their own livelihoods if anyone in their family becomes ill or is exposed. We also call upon the Ford government to use some of the unspent $6+ billion in federal COVID-19 support funds to support teachers in their fight to keep our students safe.

Why isn't Ford spending COVID-19 money on making our schools safe or providing supplemental aid to Ontarians? "The Ontario Financial Accountability Officer recently found that the Ford government has FAILED to allocate BILLIONS of dollars in federal Covid-19 funds. This failed allocation includes the $382 million that this government promised they would use for the ‘Safe Return to School Fund.’" That's $6.7 billion that was earmarked for COVID-19 support that the Ford government is doing absolutely nothing with.

The system isn't broken, it was made this way. The top 20 billionaires in Canada saw their wealth grow by almost 2 billion each, while lower-income workers are ...left out. Instead of being coddled by Liberals & Conservatives, billionaires need a wealth tax. https://www.policynote.ca/billionaires-wealth/ See more

Just a reminder that the federal Conservatives take us so much for granted that they're parachuting a Toronto lawyer, and previous leadership candidate, into our riding. Not quite the kind of person you'd trust to be at all knowledgeable about the concerns of farmers, labourers, tradesfolk, and service workers.

A Labour Day message from our federal NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh: "Throughout the most difficult days of this pandemic, our essential workers never stopped showing up and doing their jobs. We’ve withstood the pandemic well because of them and this Labour Day is an opportunity to say thanks. If you are an essential worker: Thank you so much for your sacrifice, courage, and dedication. If you know an essential worker, please pass along our gratitude today.... But it’s not enough to just say thank you. These last few months have shown that many of the people we rely on most are struggling, and they continue to be left behind by this government. We have to fight for them. The courage pay bonuses that we fought the federal government for should not end. We need to keep fighting for increases to the minimum wage, and make sure workers we now all recognize as essential including those who care for our seniors make a living wage. If you agree, sign our Labour Day petition today. Today, we recommit to our fight to ensure every worker is treated fairly. That work is more important than ever. For workers who still have a job, they can’t go back if they don’t have confidence that their children and elderly parents are being cared for safely. We know this is especially true for women. The only way we can build a real recovery is if it is a recovery for everyone. For the millions of Canadians still out of work or worried about whether they’ll still have a job next week, we need to make sure Employment Insurance is there for them. We also need to create good, sustainable jobs that fight climate change and provide care for our children and elders. This pandemic has highlighted the growing divide between the wealthiest Canadians and the rest of us. While most people in Canada were struggling through the pandemic, some corporations and their executives were making record profits. We need to make the ultra wealthy pay just a little bit more so we can build a recovery that works for us all. Sign our Labour Day petition if you agree: ndp.ca/labour-day Happy Labour Day, friends and supporters. Thanks for everything you do. Jagmeet Singh Leader Canada’s NDP"

This Labour Day, let's imagine a world where labour, in the way it is defined in our present society, is not required for survival, but is instead a choice, and where governments act in the best interests of the freedom, liberty, and well-being of their people. The attached images remain applicable here in Canada (though thankfully to a lesser extent, given our insistence upon maintaining our public healthcare and a serviceable social security net, as frayed as it presently ...may be by the scourges of austerity and ignorance). However, for our dental, optical, pharmaceutical, and mental health care employment or private insurance premiums remain a necessary. At present, also, disability support payments and our current means-tested welfare systems are allowing too many people to slip through the cracks, especially in our largest cities, where real estate speculation run rampant has made both rental and ownership of living spaces exorbitantly expensive. We owe it to the future development of our society to decouple work from survival, and in doing so free up millions of people to perform volunteer and charitable work that otherwise would not get done or be paid for, and would regardless contribute inconceivable amounts of value to society. It would also free scores of entrepreneurs to begin small businesses at little to no personal risk, thus creating more jobs for those who want them. Universal basic income combined with publicly-funded coverage for dental care, eyeglasses and optical procedures, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, mobility equipment, mental healthcare, preventative care, and other necessities of life, and improved availability of affordable housing, rehabilitation support, and treatment for those of us who are struggling: this is the way we move forward as a society and as a species.

Local podcast interviews our very own Marit Stiles, opposition education critic for the Ontario NDP: "We spoke with NDP Official Opposition Education Critic Marit Stiles & former Minister of Education for the Liberal Party, Mitzie Hunter about their reaction to the provincial back to school plan & reflected on the GEDSB plan. There is no excuse for why the provincial government did not have a more comprehensive back to school plan. The framework should have been completed mon...ths ago to prepare for the chance of children going back to school before June 2020. Instead, much of the work has been put on the backs of school boards. The opposing parties believe Minister Lecce and his team have handed in their homework late & give them a failing grade."

To honour Jack. Canada’s NDP / Le NPD du Canada Brantford-Brant NDP Haldimand-Norfolk NDP Riding Association... Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) See more

The NDP is not broke, and we are not willing to sacrifice our principles to avoid an election. https://www.cbc.ca//ndp-election-finance-anne-mcgrath-trud

Trudeau just pulled the Harper Maneuver: shutting down Parliament during a crisis so he doesn't have to face the music. Liberal and Tory, same old story.

It is absolutely deplorable that rather than save lives and prevent a massive COVID-19 outbreak on their farms that also ended up negatively impacting thousands of small businesses across our two counties (since it was the main reason our reopening stages were held back), Scotlynn instead chose to fire an agricultural staff member who reported the conditions on the ground. Sadly, this is par for the course, and things need to change, and soon. "WATCH / READ / SHARE! -- I t...old the foreman the farm should take responsibility for what happened, Flores said. Perhaps Juan’s death and this illness could have been prevented if they had paid attention to us when we were asking for help. Flores alleges that the very next day, Biddle’s father, Robert Biddle Jr., fired him after accusing him of speaking to the media, and threatened him with deportation." We demand that those who would take on labour in their farms follow the same rules as any other business in this county, and adhere to labour standards laws and the requirements of our local health officials.

If any of us tried tax evasion at even 0.000001% of this scale, the CRA would be down our throats. "After extrapolating the figures out to other countries, and accounting for under-reporting of tax avoidance, TJN estimated that $1.3 trillion is artificially shifted into low-tax countries every year." (Thanks, Oxford NDP!)

From Charlie Angus NDP - NPD MP: "Justin Trudeau just privatized a program worth nearly a billion dollars and gave the money to a group that personifies the Trudeau BRAND. He is promoted at their events. His mother is a featured guest. His wife runs one of their podcasts. This is a staggering amount of money that must get out the door in a very short time. Is he suggesting that Canada's civil service couldn't handle these funds? ... The COVID crisis should not be used to help insider friends of the Trudeau clan. The deal stinks." https://www.ottawamatters.com//we-charity-only-organizatio

So... how exactly is this not going to lead to an American-style resurgence of COVID-19? "TORONTO (Reuters) - Ontario will allow some people who test positive for COVID-19 but do not have symptoms to return immediately to their workplaces with precautions, separated from those who do not have the virus, according to guidance released on Wednesday." https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN23V32K

Our agricultural staff have the same right to a safe work environment as any of us. It's shameful how some in our community hoard resources for themselves and build massive houses, monuments to their own glory, and yet fail to take the proper steps to properly pay, protect, and house these employees. ' And he said some local migrant workers have reached out to him over the past week worried about their safety during the pandemic and about other longstanding issues, including... proper pay and and work hours. The Mexican and Canadian governments recently struck a deal that will lead to improvements in the temporary foreign worker program. The deal includes increased inspections and more support for Mexican officials and workers to identify and report unsafe working conditions. Workers have been afraid to speak up for fear of losing their jobs or being sent back to Mexico, said Ciallella. This could be a turning point. '

The last few weeks have shown Canadians the reality of systemic racism in Canada. This racism is not new. It is the result of decades of policies that have systematically targeted Indigenous lives. The Prime Minister has refused to back up his words with action, and instead of implementing systemic change, he has continued this legacy of violence.... Add your name to join our fight to tell Justin Trudeau that Indigenous lives matter and to call on him to finally act and tackle systemic anti-Indigenous racism. https://www.ndp.ca/indigenous-justice

It is for this sort of reason that I refuse to condemn people, in real pain and deprivation, who fall into the traps of drug or alcohol addiction, or who experi...ence endless cycles of poverty due to physical or mental illness or disability. The scientific evidence shows that poverty is not a MORAL failing, but an endless struggle against hopelessness, fear, and stress that would utterly break many of the currently more comfortable members of our society. "When a person lives in poverty, a growing body of research suggests the limbic system is constantly sending fear and stress messages to the prefrontal cortex, which overloads its ability to solve problems, set goals, and complete tasks in the most efficient ways."

A CBC radio interview on As It Happens with Jagmeet Singh, regarding his principled stance on systemic racism in the RCMP and in the decision making process. We believe that Jagmeet apologizing for calling out the racist and derisive actions of Bloc MP Alain Therrien in Parliament "would be akin to saying I'm sorry for fighting systemic racism now. And I can't say that I'm sorry for fighting it. I don't apologize for wanting to force the Liberal government to do something. I don't apologize for being upset that the House of Commons couldn't just acknowledge together, united couldn't acknowledge that there's systemic racism in the RCMP, which is so awful. I can't apologize for that. I would be letting down too many people."

The first minority political leader in Canada's history, kicked out of the House for confronting racism. Yes, this happened. And it's a shameful indictment of the continued Liberal and Conservative strategy of paying lip service without actually taking action against racism. And honestly, it's a shameful indictment of the member from the Bloc Québécois whose unexamined racism blinded him to the reality of what needs to be done for the benefit of all Canadians, including racialized Québécois.