Author of the article: Lisa Johnson
Publishing date:Jul 18, 2021 •
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks with the media and greets supporters outside the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market, Sunday July 18, 2021.
PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party’s jobs plan will invest in infrastructure and get energy-sector workers back to work in renewables as he continued his tour of Alberta in Edmonton Sunday.
Singh said if elected, the NDP would include funding for retrofitting buildings and infrastructure projects with a focus on made-in-Canada products after the pandemic worsened an already-lagging job market in the province, especially for energy workers
“We know that remediating oil wells creates opportunities for jobs right now, as well as opportunities for renewable energy — and we know that in Alberta, people want more renewable energy,” said Singh.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party’s jobs plan will invest in infrastructure and get energy-sector workers back to work in renewables as he continued his tour of Alberta in Edmonton Sunday.
Singh said if elected, the NDP would include funding for retrofitting buildings and infrastructure projects with a focus on made-in-Canada products after the pandemic worsened an already-lagging job market in the province, especially for energy workers
“We know that remediating oil wells creates opportunities for jobs right now, as well as opportunities for renewable energy — and we know that in Alberta, people want more renewable energy,” said Singh.
He made the comments at a campaign-style stop at the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market with NDP MP Heather McPherson for Edmonton Strathcona, the party’s sole MP in Alberta, and NDP Candidate Blake Desjarlais. Desjarlais will be running in Edmonton Griesbach, a riding currently held by Conservative MP Kerry Diotte but considered a toss-up by poll aggregator 338canada.com.
Singh unveiled his party’s jobs plan in Windsor, Ont., Wednesday, including the promise of one million new jobs with improved benefits and plans to institute a wealth tax.
On Sunday, the New Democrat leader also said he had heard local concerns about health care, and used the opportunity to promise an increase to federal health transfers to the provinces if elected, as well as tout his party’s national pharmacare and dental coverage proposals.
Singh said it’s “almost surreal” that the UCP government would consider wage rollbacks for frontline workers such as nursesand support staff.
“When people need health care more than ever, to cut health care seems so callous and so hurtful, and (Premier) Jason Kenney has shown that he does not care about people,” said Singh, who added he would focus on supporting those who have lost their jobs and benefits.
Singh, who also made an appearance in Calgary Saturday, is the third federal party leader to visit Alberta in the past month.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a stop to announce his government was green lighting the latest expansion to Calgary’s Green Line LRT project during a trip through western Canada in early July, fuelling speculation he is eyeing an election in the near future.
Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole also stopped in at a pancake breakfast in Calgary during the Stampede, promising he would work to reform the federal fiscal stabilization program, which has been a longstanding gripe for many Albertans.
Singh said Sunday if elected he would be “very open” to amending the formula to make sure that Alberta “gets its fair share.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh visits Edmonton
The federal politician visited the city as part of his three-day tour of Alberta.
The federal politician visited the city as part of his three-day tour of Alberta.
WITH MY NDP FEDERAL CANDIDATE BLAKE DEJARLAIS, EDMONTON GREISBACH TO JAG SINGH'S LEFT
EDMONTON -- The federal leader of the NDP continued his tour of Alberta with a stop in Edmonton on Sunday.
Jagmeet Singh visited Edmonton as the second stop for his three-day tour of the province after visiting Calgary on Saturday.
The politician visited the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market with Edmonton Strathcona MP Heather McPherson – the only sitting MP from his party in the province. While there, he spoke with Edmontonians and took questions from the media.
No federal election has been called, but recent visits in Alberta from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Erin O’Toole have fuelled speculation the writ could be dropped.
When asked about if he believes an election was coming, Singh said the party is ready should an election be called.
“I have always said I don’t think we should be going to an election. We should be getting the help people need,” he said. “Justin Trudeau has promised a lot of things– let’s do that work.
“I want to get back to work. My focus is on getting people the help they need.”
Singh also addressed the need to diversify Alberta’s economy to help get people back to work in a sustainable way.
“People are worried about their future when it comes to jobs. People are telling me that they want to see investments in diversification,” Singh told media.
“The economy here in Alberta needs to be diversified so workers have an opportunity to live a good life, to earn a good living and aren’t so worried about the precarity of their jobs.”
The NDP leader also spoke about how the party is focused on ensuring Canada has a strong economic recovery from COVID-19 and that government aid is focused on supporting workers, not corporations.
“In Alberta things have been already bad, even before the pandemic,” he said. “We saw in the pandemic people didn’t have access to medication and lost access to benefits.
“Everyone in our country should have those supports.”
He added that the federal government should be using Alberta energy workers who are short on work right now to help retrofit buildings and remediating oil wells.
Singh was also asked about his thoughts regarding Alberta’s referendum on equalization. He said it was “ironic” that Premier Jason Kenney was fighting against the formula for equalization when he helped create it during his career as a federal politician. The NDP leader said he would be open to ensuring Alberta got a fair deal.
“We are very open to making sure there is a fair transfer and making sure that Alberta gets its fair share, that all provinces are dealt with fairly,” SIngh responded.
Singh also meet with Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations Grand Chief Vernon Watchmaker and the Metis Settlements General Council on Sunday. Those events were closed to the public.
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