As families continue to rack up more debt to deal with inflation, NDP continues to push Liberals to act

Today, the Leader of Canada’s NDP Jagmeet Singh issued the following statement:

“A new survey shows that people pulled deeper into debt as they struggled to afford food, rent and utility bills. Meanwhile, rich CEOs of large grocery chains are getting richer on the backs of Canadians who are forced to make hard decisions—pay for rent or food. Grocery prices are now so bad that 20% of Canadian families are skipping meals to cut down on food costs. This is unacceptable. And as interest rates continue to rise, families are finding it harder to afford their mortgage and their credit debts.

And as the cold weather approaches, families are now worried about how they’ll afford to heat their homes. They're feeling the squeeze in their budgets.

This cannot continue. We have a responsibility to act.

This week, with the government’s Fall Economic Statement, the government has an opportunity to make choices that will make life easier for families. New Democrats outlined clear measures the government can put in place to make life more affordable now. The Liberals can make it easier to prosecute grocery price fixers that are making food unaffordable for families. They can also implement a windfall profit tax on big companies’ excess profits. And they can waive the GST on home heating so folks can afford to heat their homes.

It took the government six months to take the NDP's advice to double the GST tax credit. It should not take this long for the Liberals to put in place measures to help families get through this difficult time.

New Democrats will continue to use their power in Parliament to pressure the Liberals to deliver the help people need now.”