Parliament has adjourned for the summer and when it returns it will likely be a brand new parliament. With a fixed election date of October 19, it’s expected that summer will lead straight into a September election campaign.
Let’s take a quick look at the parliamentary session that was.
In 2015, Stephen Harper brought in Bill C-51 and with it, threw out many of our most important rights and freedoms. He said we had to choose between security and our rights – but it’s starting to look like Canadians will simply choose a new government instead.
The Conservatives also committed to moving forward with income splitting. At a cost of $2 billion, Harper is going to give a tax cut to the wealthiest among us, while the majority of Canadians get nothing – except the bill.
Most recently the Prime Minister had a deathbed conversion on retirement security but his ineffective voluntary retirement saving scheme is not a solution for the over 11 million Canadians without a workplace pension. The Conservatives’ plan is nothing more than an election sideshow, meant to distract Canadians from what is really needed – a doubling of the Canada Pension Plan benefits.
And all of these Conservative projects have moved forward while Stephen Harper continues to attack workers and their unions at every turn.
What might the next parliament look like?
The latest polls have all three parties running neck-and-neck. If Canadians vote for genuine progressive change, we can have an NDP government that will deliver:
- $15-a-day child care,
- retirement security through an expanded CPP,
- a complete repeal of Bill C-51,
- a $15 federal minimum wage,
- strengthened public health care, and
-
a national inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women.
And rather than attacking workers and their unions, they’ll work to create well-paying jobs while protecting the environment and public services.
