(Montreal) NDP leader Jagmeet Singh unreservedly endorses the decision of his candidate in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun to display a Palestinian flag in a flyer since, according to him, it is part of Canadian values to denounce “this genocide that is happening in Gaza.”
Craig Sauvé, who is running for the NDP in next Monday’s by-election, has drawn criticism from Jewish organizations for stoking anti-Semitism.
But Mr. Singh, who was speaking to the media on the sidelines of his party’s caucus in Montreal on Wednesday, argued instead that “there is nothing that is more Canadian, that is more in keeping with our values as a country, that is more Quebecois.” [que] to say: we will support justice and peace.”
“Stop this genocide”
He believes that Craig Sauvé’s actions are in line with Canadian values, the values of his party and those of many Canadians. “What is happening in Gaza breaks people’s hearts, to see children killed, to see people killed.”
Canadians are “so tired” of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government putting off “the actions needed to do everything we can as a country,” Jagmeet Singh said. [au niveau] global effort to stop this genocide happening in Gaza.”
According to him, the New Democratic Party is the only one to be clear on its position. He adds that on the side of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, “it’s worse than the Liberals.”
On the Bloc Québécois side, its leader Yves-François Blanchet reacted Monday by calling on all parties to exercise the utmost caution and to use their sense of responsibility “before making political, electoral or ideological use of a symbol linked to that.” Mr. Blanchet was also blunt when questioned more thoroughly, calling both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas “monsters.”
Housing proposal
Jagmeet Singh called the media on Wednesday to announce that the NDP will introduce a bill in the Commons this fall that would ban big business from buying up buildings that are still affordable for families. It will also propose ending all forms of government assistance, from low-interest loans to preferential tax treatment to mortgage insurance for landlords who exploit tenants.
He says that 20% of rental housing, or nearly 400,000 homes in Canada, are now owned by large financial companies, whereas they were not exploiting this market in the mid-1990s.