The NDP candidate for sa国际传媒 in the upcoming federal election made a familiar plea Thursday for voters to give the party the balance of power in the next Parliament.听
Trevor McAleese seemed to acknowledge during a candidate forum that both local history and recent national polling suggests the NDP have little chance of forming government but he said neither the Liberals or Conservatives should be entrusted with a majority position.
鈥淲e are a party that holds governments to account,鈥 McAleese said. 鈥淲e keep them honest and we hold them to their promises.鈥
Through its previous agreement to prop up the minority Liberal government, the NDP had managed to secure a national dental plan and a future goal in a similar role would be to expand the list of prescription drugs covered by government programs.听
More broadly, McAleese stressed the NDP would provide a voice for the many Canadians who he said would be impacted by continental trade war and U.S. President Donald Trumpsa国际传媒 continuing interest in making Canada the 51st state.听
鈥淲e are the only voice in the room that is centering the needs of hardworking families and marginalized people to make sure they are not left behind, especially when we are looking at these existential threats, both economic and sovereign,鈥 he said.听
鈥淭his is not the time to be pulling back on the work that needs to be done in terms of beefing up our social supports, our health care. We need to be investing in our people especially when we鈥檙e re looking at the prospect of people losing their jobs,鈥 McAleese said.听
鈥淭heresa国际传媒 going to be downsizing across all kinds of industries in response to these tariffs. People are going to be thrown out of work. The NDP, we鈥檙e here to make sure that anyone who loses their job is听听taken care of,鈥 he said.听
鈥淭his is the time for us to be investing in people. Itsa国际传媒 not just about trying to pursue some agenda of fiscal responsibility when people are suffering. And people are going to be suffering. And the NDP will make sure that whatever government is elected we are going to keep them to their promises and we鈥檙e going to keep regular people, you and I, in the conversation,鈥 McAleese said.听
On other matters, McAleese said NDP priorities are to reduce credit card fees, eliminate inter-provincial trade barriers, and provide more homes for unhoused people and support for mental health programs, two measures he said in particular were needed to lower crime.
鈥淪o much crime is the result of people living in desperate circumstances,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he way we address crime is by going after the root causes.鈥
The NDP would also focus on protecting Canadasa国际传媒 resources, such as water and rare earth minerals, from any foreign takeover.听
鈥淭his is a way to shore up our sovereignty, by wholly owning and controlling the extraction and sale of our national resources,鈥 McAleese said.听
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