NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Halifax NDP candidate Lisa Roberts held a press conference in Halifax on Monday, August 19. Photo: NDP.
Canada’s NDP leader indicated the federal government should be utilizing more federal land to solve the housing crisis while visiting Nova Scotia.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was in Halifax on Monday where he met with Halifax NDP Candidate and former MLA Lisa Roberts.
While speaking with reporters Singh was asked about his thoughts on converting the Canada Post sorting facility into affordable housing which the federal government has been looking into in recent months.
Singh indicated he supports the idea, provided the housing provided would be offered at affordable prices that are attainable for working-class Canadians.
“My concern is they (the Liberals) have started using federal land for housing, but the majority of what is being built is not affordable, it’s market price housing,” Singh said. “We need federal land whether it’s Canada Post land or other land that is suitable for it to be used for true affordable housing,”.
As more federal housing begins to get built Singh is calling for more stringent regulations to ensure it is affordable.
Roberts also weighed in on the postal facility issue suggesting that while it is a solid idea, there are other plots of federal land in HRM that are more suitable.
“The post office site is close to Windsor Park which is a federal DND site where multiple former private members’ quarters which were 100 per cent occupied were torn down under this government,” Roberts said. “There is also the Shannon Park site which has gone undeveloped under the entire reign of the Trudeau government.”
She went on to say that there are multiple sites that could be turned into housing cheaper and quicker than the postal site, particularly in cases where the federal government directly owns the land.
Singh weighs in on rail strike
The NDP leader also weighed in on the ongoing rail strike, arguing that the federal government has an important but limited role to play.
Currently, Canadian rail workers are engaged in a strike over unresolved contract negotiations with major rail companies, including Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). The strike centers on demands for improved wages, better working conditions, and job security.
When asked what if any federal intervention he supported Singh said the only measure he supported was federally mandating the rail companies to return to the bargaining table in good faith.
“For too long we have seen the Liberals and Conservatives interfere in these types of labour disputes to the advantage of the employer and to the detriment of the worker,” said Singh.
He went on to say his party would not support back-to-work legislation if it was put forward.
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