NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says coming federal budget should 'invest in people'
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says coming federal budget should 'invest in people'
As the federal government drafts its spring budget, fiscal experts say it should consider stricter spending rules and higher taxes to improve federal finances. The Peace Tower is pictured on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
As Canadians brace for the 2023 federal budget to be revealed on March 28, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the new plan needs to “invest in people,” focusing on financial aid programs that soften the blow of inflation.
“There’s a number of things we want to see in terms of how we can invest in giving people a little bit of support in this difficult time to give them some help in the cost of living crisis that they’re dealing with,” he told CTV Your Morning on Friday.
“We do need to invest in people. What we’re proposing are targeted measures that will not contribute to inflation in any way. Economists have confirmed that.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hinted that there will be new affordability measures that will “directly help Canadians,” but didn’t offer specifics on what kinds of targeted supports Canadians will see in the budget.
Singh is calling for Trudeau to make good on his commitment to expand the dental care program, which he said could save families at least $1,200 amidst higher costs of living.
After rolling out the first phase—allowing families earning less than $90,000 a year, to receive federal funding to help cover the cost of dental care for children aged 12 and under—Singh said the Liberals have to make good on their pledge to expand the system to those under the age of 18, seniors, and people living with disabilities.
“That’s going to cover millions of people, make a difference in their lives, [and it will] save a lot of money,” he said.
Singh added that he also wants to see other measures that NDP fought for, expanded. This includes extending the one-time six-month doubling of the GST rebate to put “more money in peoples’ pockets.”
He added that other budget priorities include finding affordable housing space and reforming employment insurance.
Suggesting ways the government can find the money for these kinds of measures, Singh suggested the Liberals end fossil fuel subsidies, which he said are costing the federal government billions of dollars.
“These are oil and gas companies that have made record profits – not just any old profits, but the highest profits they’ve ever made, in many of these companies, their entire existence, and they continue to receive billions of dollars from the federal government. That needs to end.”
But aside from pointing to the oil and gas sector, Singh also said his party feels larger measures have to be implemented to combat major corporations’ use of tax havens.
“There’s loopholes that exist right now that allow for many companies to have tax havens where they are stealing, basically, revenue from our federal government, from the government in general, that could go towards these programs,” he said. Singh believes the Canada Revenue Agency should widen its scope to ensure that tax shelters don’t allow big companies to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-pushes-government-stop-letting-corporations-hide-money-offshore
“So let’s close these loopholes that allow for billions of dollars to be ending up off shore instead of being invested back in our country,” Singh said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested an 18-year-old man from the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal on Thursday morning in connection with allegations of terrorism.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he feels it is his role to see the Safe Third Country Agreement upgraded, in order to make sure Canadians can continue to have confidence in Canada's immigration system.
The largest recorded earthquake in Alberta's history was not a natural event, but most likely caused by disposal of oilsands wastewater, new research has concluded.
The Manhattan district attorney investigating Donald Trump rebuffed U.S. House Republicans' request Thursday for documents and testimony about the case, dismissing it as an "unprecedented inquiry" with no legitimate basis.
Han Dong has announced he will be sitting as an independent MP after being the subject of allegations involving interference by China in Canadian affairs.
Embattled South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom will resign next month after a US$3.5 billion accounting error in the year-end financial report he oversaw.
Investigators with York Regional Police issued Canada-wide warrants for two men who they say are involved in the Richmond Hill attack on Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri weeks before she was allegedly abducted.
United States President Joe Biden is set to deliver a speech to Parliament on Friday, becoming the ninth president to address Canadians in Ottawa. Here's a look back at past presidential speeches and the eras that defined them.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
The RCMP knew about a potential cocaine shipment from the Dominican Republic to Toronto aboard a Canadian charter flight but inexplicably allowed the crew that discovered and reported the drugs to be detained for months without intervening, a W5 investigation has revealed.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
A 64-year-old grandmother from Barrie, Ont. faces life in prison in Hong Kong, accused of smuggling drugs, after being duped twice in what her family believes was a sophisticated romance scam.
Anishinaabe podcaster Ryan McMahon sought to uncover the truth behind the deaths of several Indigenous people in Thunder Bay, Ont. in a new Crave Original documentary.
Police are reissuing calls to help locate an Oshawa, Ont. man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant after allegedly stabbing two women – one, fatally – earlier this month.
Ottawa police and the city of Ottawa have warned residents and visitors will see an increased police presence across the downtown core on Thursday and Friday, and there will be "significant traffic and transit disruptions" during the visit.
Ottawa's mayor says although LeBreton Flats would be a great location for a new rink for the Ottawa Senators, there are other possible locations for a new NHL arena in the city.
Investigators with York Regional Police issued Canada-wide warrants for two men who they say are involved in the Richmond Hill attack on Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri weeks before she was allegedly abducted.
The resurrection of Zellers is officially underway in Waterloo region with the Cambridge location opening its doors to a handful of eager fans who lined up ahead of the store's official reopening.
Charges have now been laid after a stabbing in London earlier this week. A 19-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday after the incident happened on Tuesday.
From the moment employees opened the doors to White Oaks Mall on Thursday morning, hundreds of people flocked to Zellers. Curiosity and low prices have enticed many to head to the mall for Thursday's official opening.
Two people are charged after an investigation by Windsor’s Drugs and Guns (DIGS) unit. Officers seized over $25,000 in cash and drugs from a home in the 1100 block of Church Street on Tuesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested an 18-year-old man from the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal on Thursday morning in connection with allegations of terrorism.
Former Quebec premier Jean Charest pocketed just under $70,000 in compensation during his brief stint as a director of Canadian National Railway (CN). Charest was appointed a director in early 2022, but resigned two months later to run unsuccessfully for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. In total, he received $68,987 in compensation during his time at CN, according to regulatory documents released by the company.
The Tim Houston PC government remains firm in their promise they'll fix the healthcare system by spending more taxpayer money on health than any previous government before.
Two staff members who were stabbed at a Halifax-area high school have been released from hospital, while the student accused in the stabbing remains in custody.
The rate of snow and rain falling in the Maritimes will pick up late Thursday afternoon into evening as a weather system makes its way across the region.
Winnipeg's city council has voted unanimously in favour of renaming several roadways currently named after a bishop remembered as one of the architects of the residential school system.
A Winnipeg hospital official says another nurse has resigned from a sexual assault examination program, and other health-care professionals are stepping in to fill the gap.
Dozens of people lined up outside the Hudson's Bay store at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton on Thursday to be amongst the first to shop at the new Zellers location.
The largest recorded earthquake in Alberta's history was not a natural event, but most likely caused by disposal of oilsands wastewater, new research has concluded.
At least one National Hockey League team with a Russian player on its roster has decided against wearing special warmup jerseys to commemorate Pride Night because of a Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ2S+ rights.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he feels it is his role to see the Safe Third Country Agreement upgraded, in order to make sure Canadians can continue to have confidence in Canada's immigration system.
Han Dong has announced he will be sitting as an independent MP after being the subject of allegations involving interference by China in Canadian affairs.
He's hell-bent on restoring blue-collar American manufacturing to its former glory, considers free trade a dirty word and wants Canada to wade voluntarily into a failed, gang-ravaged state that's a quagmire waiting to happen.
Canada's race to procure ventilators for COVID-19 patients in the early days of the pandemic had researchers, scientists, industry and a notable astrophysicist working 'night and day' to design machines that could be quickly manufactured domestically.
Neurodivergent education expert Mary Klovance says there are several approaches educators can take to help students with such conditions as ADHD and autism to flourish in the classroom.
Equatorial Guinea has confirmed another eight cases of the 'highly virulent' Marburg virus, a deadly hemorrhagic fever with no authorized vaccine or treatment.
U.S. lawmakers grilled the CEO of TikTok over data security and harmful content Thursday, responding skeptically during a tense committee hearing to his assurances that the hugely popular video-sharing app prioritizes user safety and should not be banned.
Sky-gazers will be treated to a parade of planets near the end of month when Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars will appear together in the night sky.
A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts made its launch debut Wednesday night, lifting off amid fanfare but failing three minutes into flight -- far short of orbit. There was nothing aboard Relativity Space's test flight except for the company's first metal 3D print made six years ago.
Protests continued Wednesday at a university in the Texas Panhandle after the school's president said a planned campus drag show wouldn't be allowed and expressed the view that such events 'discriminate against womanhood.'
A neuropsychologist who treated the man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 ski collision cast aspersions on the testimony of medical experts hired by the celebrity's legal team -- and argued that, as his personal doctor, she was better suited to speak about 76-year-old Terry Sanderson's post-concussion symptoms.
After a years-long hiatus, Zellers has announced the locations of its first 25 store 'experiences.' The stores are set to open within Hudson's Bay locations across Canada in 2023. Here is a list of the locations.
Strength in the technology sector helped lead a broad-based rally as Canada's main stock index gained more than 100 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also surged higher.
Neurodivergent education expert Mary Klovance says there are several approaches educators can take to help students with such conditions as ADHD and autism to flourish in the classroom.
Nancy Rose is the creator behind the "The Secret Life of Squirrels" – a series of children’s books and calendars capturing real-life squirrels engaging in human activities.
More than 50 current and former Canadian fencers have joined a growing call for a Canadian judicial inquiry on maltreatment in sport, saying the fear of retribution has kept them silent for nearly 20 years on fencing's toxic culture and abusive practices.
Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez completed a first-round sweep for Canadians in the women's singles draw at the Miami Open with wins on Wednesday.
California lawmakers on Thursday will vote on whether to allow penalties on oil companies for price gouging at the pump, a first-in-the-country proposal aimed at stopping the kind of spikes last summer that caused some drivers pay up to US$8 per gallon as the industry reaped super-sized profits.
The Chevrolet Camaro, for decades the dream car of many teenage American males, is going out of production. General Motors, which sells the brawny muscle car, said Wednesday it will stop making the current generation early next year.
U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints from Honda Civic drivers that their steering can stick, causing a momentary increase in effort and increasing the risk of a crash.
As the federal government drafts its spring budget, fiscal experts say it should consider stricter spending rules and higher taxes to improve federal finances. The Peace Tower is pictured on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
