Mark Hancock | CUPE’s National President
With a federal election coming any day now, CUPE members are mobilizing across Canada to make their voices heard on social media, at dinner tables, on the airwaves, and at the ballot box. Justin Trudeau stayed long past his best-before date, and now Canadians will get their say after a decade of Liberal government.
This election is an opportunity like any other election for us to choose the kind of country we want to be. But unlike other elections, the stakes in this one are higher than ever before.
Any opinion poll will tell you people are looking for change and the clock has run out on the Liberals — regardless of whether it’s Justin Trudeau or anybody else at the helm. The Liberals have proven time and time again that without the NDP keeping them honest, they will always campaign from the left but govern for the corporate elite.
Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives would be a disaster for workers’ rights and public services. Pierre is in it for banks, billionaires, and big polluters — not for you. He has been bought and paid for by rich real estate developers, corporate lobbyists, anti-union agitators, big oil, and price-gouging grocery giants. Pierre has never missed an opportunity to exploit people – especially vulnerable people – in order to enrich his already wealthy friends and the well-connected lobbyists who serve them.
For two decades, whether the problem was health care, housing, unemployment, economic downturns, or any other crisis you can name, Pierre’s solution has always been to give rich people more money. That has never worked in the past, and it won’t work if — heaven forbid – he ever sets foot in the prime minister’s office.
Rather than another life-long politician like Pierre Poilievre who only looks out for his billionaire buddies, we need a government who is looking out for workers and brings change that makes Canada a better, more affordable place to live.
There is only one party offering hope in this election. Jagmeet Singh and the NDP are the only party who have consistently fought for workers and for public services. They are the only party who will strengthen workers’ rights and fight for a better future for everybody — especially young people worried about the climate, and whether they’ll ever be able to afford a home or find a decent job with a pension.
This election we aren’t just encouraging our members to get out and vote for their local NDP candidate. We’re encouraging everyone to get even more engaged. That means picking up the phone or knocking on a few doors to talk to your neighbours about what we can all achieve if we pull together — and what’s at stake if the Conservatives win — in this election.
Head to cupe.ca/CUPE-Votes to find out how you can get more information and get involved in this critical election that could make or break Canada as we know it.
