Jagmeet Singh announces plan in Winnipeg to protect workers from trade war with U.S.
'We're going to defend the things that we have,' NDP leader says
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party has a plan to safeguard Canada from Donald Trump's trade war as the U.S. president prepares to roll out new tariffs.
During a campaign stop in Winnipeg on Wednesday, Singh cited previously announced NDP policy proposals such as increasing employment insurance payments, building an east-west electricity grid and putting money collected through retaliatory tariffs into affected sectors such as steel and auto manufacturing.
Trump is expected to unveil today his latest round of "reciprocal" tariffs on countries he claims have been taking advantage of the U.S.
It's still not clear whether Trump's pause on previously announced economy-wide tariffs on Canada and Mexico will end today.
Flanked by the NDP's Elmwood-Transcona candidate Leila Dance and Churchill-Keewatinook Aski candidate Niki Ashton, Singh also promised broad support to help workers in the face of the tariffs, a building plan to create jobs using Canadian materials and a no-trade clause on critical minerals, cultural sectors and public hydro.
"We know that the States needs our electricity. We know that we've got public energy in Canada and Trump has shown, as Americans have shown, a desire to go after public assets and public infrastructure," Singh said.
"We want to make it very clear that we're going to defend the things that we have. We're going to defend our public health care, we're going to defend our public utilities."
Singh didn't answer when asked what impact, if any, such a clause would have on new or existing contracts that utilities such as Manitoba Hydro have with U.S. customers.
Singh, calling Trump "an arsonist," said the U.S. president is "setting fire to the economy — his own economy, and ours as well."
Singh has been arguing during the election campaign that the NDP is the only party looking out for workers as the trade war intensifies.
The NDP leader is including previously announced affordability promises in his tariff plan, including removing the GST on "essentials" such as home heating, pre-made grocery store meals and childrens clothes, capping grocery prices on staples and expanding health programs such as dental care.
With files from Josh Crabb