Sunday December 31, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Many Canadians may not keep track, exactly, of the flow of political initiatives and accomplishments at the federal level.
It’s been clear for the last couple of years that the influence of the NDP — even as the fourth party in the House of Commons — has been significant for the benefit of people across the country. In the 44th Parliament, the Liberals have 158 seats, the Conservatives 115, the Bloc Quebecois 32, NDP 25, and the Greens two seats.
Working with their leverage of 25 vocal MPs and the enduring Supply and Confidence Agreement with the Liberals (in a minority government status), the NDP under Jagmeet Singh as leader seem to bring a sense of sensibility about what individuals and households need as well as looking out for the interests of workers and small business.
Political ball in 2024:
The NDP are likely wanting to hold onto the power that comes with the Supply and Confidence Agreement for at least another year. The next federal election is presently scheduled for October 20, 2025.
A federal election date can come sooner than that if there is a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons and/or if the NDP rescind their participation in the Supply and Confidence Agreement which would ultimately have the same effect.
This puts the political ball in the NDP court for 2024.
“We’re going to make 2024 a better year,” said MacGregor during a short speech at his holiday season open house in Langford on December 19.
List of accomplishments:
Today on New Year’s Eve local MP Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) posted a list of “what the Liberals wouldn’t have done and what the Conservatives didn’t do”, to frame the broad-scale accomplishments of the NDP this year.
MacGregor sits on the Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee in the House of Commons and is the NDP’s food price critic.
“I’m proud of what our team was able to accomplish in 2023, and I’m looking forward to pushing for a more ambitious 2024!,” said MacGregor in a social media post today at year-end, posting this list:
- Introduced anti-scab legislation to support workers.
- Put more money back into people’s pockets with a $1,000 GST rebate
- Got families $1,300 so kids can get their teeth fixed.
- Secured a major investment for Indigenous housing.
- Delivered measures to lower bills for Canadians and end the free ride for CEO’s with changes to the competition act.
- Introduced a sustainable jobs act that secures investment in a clean energy economy that puts workers at the table.
- Funding to build more homes that people can actually afford.
- Eliminated the GST on counselling and psychotherapy.
Context:
The amounts stated above for the GST rebate and the dental plan amount for children are maximums (amounts vary depending on household incomes and use of the plans).
The housing funding is still long to come in terms of new housing supply; programs can take years to roll out and regular both provincial and municipal buy-in in most cases.
Work on the competition act will, in time, possibly help to generate changes that will lead to fairer pricing for services like wireless and products like groceries.
Prior to 2023:
And of course prior to 2023, the NDP team of MPs in the House of Commons pushed for a better CERB deal for Canadians (pushing it up from $1,000 to $2,000 per month during the highly uncertain times of the COVID pandemic and getting CERB extended past mid-2020).
The NDP also pushed hard to prevent a clawback of GIS funds from seniors who had claimed CERB in 2020.
===== RELATED:
- Alistair MacGregor: “We’re going to make 2024 a better year” (December 19, 2023)
- NDP political win as federal dental plan begins phased rollout (December 11, 2023)
- NDP still pushing for grocery price action (October 18, 2023)
- Inflationary grocery pricing addressed in NDP bill (September 18, 2023)
- NDP leader discusses housing crisis with grad students at UVic (August 30, 2023)
- Public & political reaction to Loblaw CEO raise says a lot (April 9, 2023)
- Harsh economic realities at the mercy of political leadership (March 23, 2023)
- NDP push for government decision on Rogers-Shaw deal (February 14, 2023)
- Alistair MacGregor leads NDP investigation into high food prices (February 13, 2023)
- Struggling families assisted by NDP pressure on federal government (September 13, 2022)
- GIS clawback still on NDP radar, want one-time emergency payment for impacted seniors (January 21, 2022)
- NDP rolls into 44th Parliament with priorities to help people (November 22, 2021)
- CERB gets extended thanks to NDP pressure in minority scenario (June 15, 2020)
- POLITICS | HEALTH | FEDERAL NDP
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends founder and Editor Mary P Brooke has been covering news of the west shore and south Vancouver Island (with an eye to provincial and federal news) since 2008 through a series of publications: MapleLine Magazine (quarterly 2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (weekly print 2011-2013), West Shore Voice News (weekly print/PDF 2014-2020), and Island Social Trends (online since mid-2020).
Island Social Trends posts news daily at IslandSocialTrends.ca and will launch a biweekly print edition in 2024.
News is covered through a socioeconomic lens, always with an eye to the influence of politics on the daily and longer-term impacts on individuals, households, businesses and community.