NDP Press Releases

OTTAWA –Today New Democrat MPs announced that they will be fanning out across the country to consult Canadians about changes to the Old Age Security (OAS) program planned by the Conservatives.  The MPs will promote practical options the NDP has to address the changes that are happening as our population ages while still ensuring retirement security for all Canadians.

OTTAWA — NDP Status of Women Critic Françoise Boivin (Gatineau) and MP Mylène Freeman (Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel) today introduced a bill seeking to implement the recommendations of the pay equity task force.

“The report was tabled in 2004 and the Conservatives left it on the shelf. The bill we presented today will require them to take action and implement the report’s recommendations,” said Boivin.

Established in 2001, the pay equity task force concluded that the system of relying exclusively on the employer to ensure pay equity is inefficient.

LONDON – In another stunning indictment of the Conservatives failed jobs plan, Caterpillar Inc. has announced that the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) plant in London has permanently shut its doors after 63 years, putting more than 450 workers out of job.

“This is a trend we are seeing across Canada. Companies are taking Harper’s corporate tax cuts and then shipping Canadian jobs overseas” said NDP leader Nycole Turmel. “What this country needs is real job creation. Corporate tax cuts cannot guarantee a single job.”

OTTAWA – New Democrats are calling on the House of Commons to take a stand against Stephen Harper’s move to balance the Conservative deficit by cutting future benefits for seniors.

The NDP opposition motion put forward by MP Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe (Pierrefonds-Dollard) asks the House to not only reject changes to the age of eligibility for Old Age Security, but to commit to a reduction strategy for seniors’ poverty.

OTTAWA – Today, New Democrat Post-Secondary Education Critic, Rathika Sitsabaiesan (Scarborough-Rouge River) and Deputy Post-Secondary Education Critic, Matthew Dubé (Chambly-Borduas) joined the thousands of students gathered on Parliament Hill, and across the country, demanding immediate action on post-secondary education funding and student debt.

“The success of our country relies on an educated population,” said Sitsabaiesan. “We need to give our students real access to affordable, good quality post-secondary education, not simply access to more loans.”

OTTAWA — An NDP motion on investment in infrastructure will be put to vote today in the House of Commons. The motion seeks to encourage the government to index the Gas Tax Fund and increase the transfer of gas tax money by one cent.

“This is a concrete solution that would effectively support the work of municipalities to maintain and revitalize our highways, viaducts and bridges. We need infrastructures in good condition to attract investors, stimulate jobs and facilitate the transportation of goods,” explained NDP Transport Critic, Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina).

OTTAWA – New Democrat leader Nycole Turmel echoed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) call today for action to improve the stock of rental housing in Canada today.

The FCM released a report calling on the federal government to invest in practical, low-cost options that would increase the housing stock while also creating new jobs.

After learning the sudden and tragic death of the 47 miner Stephen Perry, yesterday, NDP MPs Claude Gravelle and Glenn Thibeault wanted to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the man who had worked for Vale Company in Sudbury for 16 years.

“As a former employee of a mining company I know firsthand how dangerous it is to work underground. At the end of the day all a miner wants to do is earn a good living and go home to his family. My heart goes out to his family and his co-workers,” said Claude Gravelle.

OTTAWA – On the heels of ominous warnings from Stephen Harper’s government about cuts to OAS, New Democrats met today with the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP). They discussed how seniors will be affected and worked on the best ways to oppose Conservative cuts to seniors.

“Seniors just can’t trust this government,” said New Democrat Leader Nycole Turmel. “At a time when a quarter million seniors are living in poverty, Stephen Harper wants to make it harder for them to retire with dignity. That’s plain wrong.”

OTTAWA - New Democrat MP and Official Opposition Critic for Foreign Affairs Hélène Laverdière (Laurier – Ste-Marie) today condemned the Harper government’s request to Tunisian authorities that Canada keep up to 50% of assets seized from family members of the disgraced former President of Tunisia.

“I am shocked that the Canadian government would seek to keep this money from the Tunisian people,” said Laverdière. “This money was stolen from the Tunisian people through corruption, and Canada has no right to it.”

OTTAWA - New Democrats are condemning the Harper Conservatives for slashing environment-friendly programs and jobs at Natural Resources Canada.
“It seems government officials got a memo to slash anything clean or green – or that even has the word, ‘eco’ in it,” said NDP Natural Resources critic Claude Gravelle, reacting to news of new cuts at the department.