Standing up for seniors and hard-working Canadians

Dear Friends,

This is my first chance to express my gratitude for your messages of condolence and support on the passing of my friend and leader, Jack Layton.  His wife, Olivia Chow, his children, and all of us in his NDP family drew strength from your outpouring of love.  Thank you!

I am determined to keep Jack’s legacy alive by working to help realize his dream of social, economic and environmental justice for all Canadians. 

As Parliament resumes, that means dealing immediately with the fall-out from this summer’s economic down-turn.  Just when the Bank of Canada was indicating an improved economic outlook expressed through its predicted rise in interest rates, the stock market was thrown into turmoil.  Admittedly, we were buffeted by what happened in the US and Europe, but that doesn’t change the reality that, in this country, hard-working Canadians and seniors are once again paying the price.  Every time the stock market dips, retirement savings take a hit, and fears about making ends meet begin to mount all over again.

But instead of jumping to the aid of worried Canadians, the Prime Minister simply shook his head in bemused wonderment.  Just like three years ago, when he responded to the start of the Great Recession by suggesting that the stock market plunge represented “great buying opportunities”, he was equally callous this time in suggesting that “we put too much emphasis on this stuff”.

Easy for him to say.  He’s not living on a senior’s fixed income; nor is he worried about the potential of losing his job in the immediate future.

Instead of being glib, it’s time for the Prime Minister to act decisively to protect Canadians.  And the answer is not, as Mr. Harper would want you to believe, more bilateral free trade deals like the ones he was pursuing this summer in Latin and Central America. 

What we do need is to get serious about making life more affordable for pensioners and working Canadians.  Jack made that the focus of the our last election campaign – and we received record public support for our plan.  It’s about job creation, strengthening pensions, improving health care and making life more affordable. 

That’s the agenda that we will take into the House of Commons this fall.  And we will not stop until the job is done!

All the best,

Chris