Thursday April 3, 2020 ~ NATIONAL
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
The national NDP is asking the federal government to step up in several areas right now:
- Give Canadians more information on COVID-19.
- Waive bank fees, and interest on mortgages and credit cards (for which there is a petition underway)
- Pause rent, mortgage payments
- Pause utility payments right away
Meanwhile, the NDP has already made a huge difference for Canadians.
It was the NDP under Jagmeet Singh’s leadership that pushed for the $2,000 per month (for four months) Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) that ended up in the legislation passed by the House of Commons in their March 23 emergency session that spilled into the wee hours of March 24.
The NDP has also advocated for a wage subsidy much higher than the initial 10% that the Liberals put in place; soon thereafter the 10% level was pushed way up to 75%. That allows for more businesses to retain their employees during the most intense phase of the COVID-19 social isolation phase that we are presently in.
On March 24, the NDP released a statement of eight things the government should be doing for Canadians as COVID-19 becomes more intense.
On April 2, NDP Health Critic Don Davies said in a release asking for more information to made available to Canadians about COVID-19: “The federal government has a responsibility to be open with Canadians. Transparency is essential for maintaining the understanding, cooperation and trust of the public as we confront this pandemic.”
“We can’t fight this virus blindly. Without access to federal data, Canadians are being left in the dark on the potential duration of physical distancing measures and our health care system’s capacity to respond to the outbreak,” said Davies.
NDP Finance Critic Peter Julian says: “Despite assurances from the Finance Minister, the major banks and credit card companies have still not responded to the federal government’s requests to help Canadians through these uncertain times.”
Indeed, it seems, so far at least, that the fundamental premise of banking is unlikely to change, even during a major pandemic. Case in point: an inquiry by West Shore Voice News last week with the Visa department of a major lender was responded to with a reminder that banks exist to make money by charging interest, which they then loan out to make more interest. And other bank, approached for a loan, still required the same criteria fulfillment as would a loan request at any other time, despite that these loans are apparently to be backed by a 100% federal government guarantee.
In hindsight, it appears that the minority result of the October 2019 federal election was just what Canadians needed. The influence of minority opposition parties is making a difference.
That includes the insistence of the Bloc Quebecois to curtail the time period during which the Liberal-led government could take sweeping measures during COVID-19 (the Liberals originally hoped for legislation that would allow them to raise taxes without legislative oversight all the way to year-end 2021, but it was the Bloc that pushed for September 30, 2020 instead).