NDP leader touts pandemic victories, promises to tax the super-rich

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is adamant he’s the one to take on Canada’s most wealthy.

Speaking to Gormley on Friday, Singh sought to distance himself from Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, who he says has “let the ultra-rich off the hook.”

“We are going to make sure billionaires pay their fair share, close the loopholes, make sure companies like Amazon that made record profits (during the) pandemic actually start to pay their fair share,” Singh said.

“In Canada right now, they pay virtually no taxes.”

The NDP party platform includes putting a one per cent tax on wealth totalling more than $10 million. Income taxes for those making more than $210,000 per year would be raised. Big Tech is also in the party’s crosshairs.

Singh, who was scheduled to visit Cowessess First Nation and Regina on Friday, said various reports estimate these measures would raise more than $70 billion over a decade.

“Large corporations make profits in Canada and then they put that wealth in a tax haven … that’s billions of dollars of revenue there,” he said.

That money, Singh said, would be used to build infrastructure: roads, bridges, developing renewable energy. It would pay for promises of affordable housing, expanding medicare to cover dental care and prescription drugs.

“Those shouldn’t be costs that people have to worry about. We’ve got a plan to cover those,” he said.

The party leader also touted victories scored during the pandemic, including pressing the Liberal government for more generous relief for workers.

“We can show that there is no other opposition party that’s fought, won victories, to make people’s lives better in this pandemic,” Singh said.

“If we weren’t there, the recovery would have been far worse. It would have been much harder on people and it shows why people benefit from voting New Democrat. More of us elected means more help for you and your family.”

When asked if the country’s soaring debt is a problem, Singh answered in the affirmative. But he promised his solution to it would not follow the lead of past Liberal or Conservative governments.

“Either they have cut help that people need, which is the wrong thing to do, or they put the burden back on the people that have already struggled by increasing taxes on workers.”