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April 30th, 2019

Liberals and Conservatives Say No to Helping People

OTTAWA – On Tuesday, both the Liberal government and the Conservatives said no to an NDP proposal to put people first, ahead of rich corporations. Canadians deserve a government that’s on their side, a government that is willing to stand up for them against rich interests and powerful friends.

“For so long rich corporations have had someone on their side — and Canadians have been paying the price. Rich corporations and the wealthiest are paying less and less because of bad choices made by successive Liberal and Conservative governments at both the federal and provincial levels,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “Today, Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer told Canadians that they’ll continue to prioritise rich corporations. New Democrats are clear: we will make different choices. We will put people first.”

For so many years corporate executives and their lobbyists have had an undue influence over the Government of Canada, to the detriment of the interests of everyday Canadians. The NDP put forward a motion asking every Member of Parliament to stop rigging the system to work in favour of the richest people and the biggest corporations, and Liberals and Conservatives said no.

“Everyday families have been paying more and more, while Liberal and Conservative governments tell us we can’t afford policies that would deliver a pharmacare program, defend our pensions, build better childcare options and create a sustainable economy. It’s not that Canadians don’t have the means to build a better future, but that Liberals and Conservatives don’t have the courage or the desire to stand up to big corporate interests,” added NDP Deputy Ethics Critic Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood – Transcona). “Instead of spending millions of dollars to help a rich company buy fridges, we should recover that money and invest it to make the life of Canadians more affordable.”

The wealthiest and rich corporations have had it too good for too long. It’s time Canadians have someone on their side. New Democrats are committed to put people first.