Monday September 11, 2023 | DUNCAN, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends | POLITICS NEWS SECTION
The federal New Democrats in Cowichan–Malahat–Langford have nominated Alistair MacGregor — their current NDP Member of Parliament (MP) — to be their candidate in the next federal election. The meeting was held yesterday in Duncan.
“Incredibly grateful for the trust again placed on my shoulders,” MacGregor posted on Twitter/X yesterday.
MacGregor, who serves as the NDP’s Food Price Inflation and Agriculture and Agri-Food Critics, has played a key role in fighting to tackle high food prices and bringing costs down. MacGregor successfully called for a parliamentary study into food prices and corporate greed earlier this year, which forced grocery giants, like Loblaw CEO Galen Weston, to publicly testify about how their practices are impacting food prices and inflation.
NDP island stronghold:
MacGregor is now back in Ottawa to gear up for the fall session of the 44th parliament, which will resume in the House of Commons on September 18. He is joined by five other MPs who have seats on Vancouver Island — Randall Garrison (Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke), Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford), Laurel Collins (Victoria), Rachel Blaney (North Island-Powell River), Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni), and Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo-Ladysmith).
The federal Greens hold the other island seat (Elizabeth May, MP, Saanich-Gulf Island).
The NDP is working hard to maintain their NDP stronghold for the next election; NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spent a week on Vancouver Island at the end of August, capping it off by attending the nomination meeting for the next candidate in the neighbouring Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke riding (where long-time MP Randall Garrison will be retiring).
Heading for a fourth term:
MacGregor was first elected in 2015 in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, then re-elected in 2019 and 2021.
The next federal election must take place on or before October 20, 2025, with the election call timing dependent primarily on the Supply and Confidence Agreement between the Liberal minority government and the NDP.
The Liberals currently have 158 seats and the NDP has 25, while the Conservatives have 117; the Liberals tied themselves at the hip to the NDP so that they could essentially see votes go through as if it were a majority government.
Agriculture and agri-food:
MacGregor himself is a farmer in the Duncan area, where he lives with his wife and three children. He is a member of the House of Commons Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee.
“Alistair has done important work for Canadians by fighting against the corporate greed driving up food prices. Without New Democrats like Alistair leading the way, these grocery giants would’ve never had to testify and be held accountable for their role in the cost-of-living crisis,” said Jagmeet Singh in a news release today.
“While the Liberals and Conservatives ignored Canadians who were worried about keeping food on the table, all because their rich friends were happy — Alistair and the NDP were the first to raise alarm bells. I know he and other New Democrats will keep pushing until people get more relief and help with covering their grocery bills,” said Singh.
Last fall, when the CEOs of Canada’s biggest grocery chains tried to get out of testifying at MacGregor’s study into food prices, MacGregor expanded the study, forcing the CEOs to address Canadians.
MacGregor also has continued the fight to bring down food prices by pushing for a windfall tax on the extra profits that wealthy grocery executives are making off the backs of Canadians. This would incentivize lower food prices and allow for more money to be put back into hard-working Canadians’ pockets.
Honoured to run again:
“I feel very honoured to have been chosen again as our riding’s NDP candidate,” said MacGregor. “Right now, people in our community are going through a difficult time, and they need to know that their family has someone in their corner, not someone who’d rather cater to mega-rich CEOs,” he said in news release today.
“And while the Conservatives and the Liberals have extensive track records of backing big executives and corporations instead of helping you, New Democrats have never stopped working for Canadians,” he added.
“I’m proud to be a part of the NDP team that is fighting to get more money in your pocket. We’ll keep fighting to put in place stronger protections for you and your family so that there’s more competition in the grocery sector, and huge corporate grocery stores can’t gouge Canadians,” says MacGregor.
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR is the founder, editor and publisher of Island Social Trends which posts news daily at IslandSocialTrends.ca.
Mary P Brooke pursues her journalism goal of writing the news through a socioeconomic lens, continues in the footsteps of her previous news publications: MapleLine Magazine (print quarterly 2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (print weekly 2011-2013), and West Shore Voice News (print/PDF weekly and online, 2014-2020).
Ms Brooke has been covering political news and school district news (SD62) in particular, since 2014.
Mary Brooke now also focuses on news related to food security and urban food resilience, about which she gives presentations on key food-related issues.
Mary P Brooke was nominated in 2023 for the Jack Webster Foundation’s Shelly Fralic award which is given to a woman journalist who serves her community through journalism.