North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney has stated that the federal government’s throne speech sounds like it was written from the federal NDP playbook.
According to a media release from Blaney: “a universal pharmacare plan, elimination of chronic homelessness, implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a Canada-wide child-care system, binding legislation on emissions targets, universal broadband access, automatic tax filing, extension of the wage subsidy and support for hard-hit small businesses…you might think this was an NDP throne speech delivered by governor general Julie Payette.”
The release stated, however, it is what Blaney expected.
“This government says all kinds of nice things, but when it comes to taking action and getting support where it’s needed, we see a very different picture,” she stated.
The Liberals have been promising pharmacare for 23 years, but have yet to deliver for Canadians, according to Blaney.
She added that a bill to adopt and implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was introduced by NDP MP Romeo Saganash and passed by the House of Commons in 2018, only to be killed by the unelected Senate in 2019. The government has yet to reintroduce the legislation, the release stated.
“If we believed the government was going to deliver on all of their promises today, there would be no need for NDP MPs like me to hold them to account,” stated Blaney. “But it’s been very clear the last several months that every step of the way we’ve had to fight to convince the government to work with us to deliver the help people needed.”
The release stated that Blaney and her NDP colleagues will continue to work in the coming days to force the government to back up their words with real action to support Canadians.
