North Island – Powell River MP Rachel Blaney says her government wants the cost of living addressed through a government that “prioritizes people” over CEOs.
This comes following Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre’s tour of Vancouver Island.
Poilievre said during his visits to communities that he would plan to axe the carbon tax and decrease income tax to give the working-class higher pay checks to pay for groceries and lower the cost of housing.
Blaney, meanwhile says the NDP government wants to see more affordable housing built through federal-provincial cost-share initiatives and prevent renovictions.
She adds they have been fighting to double the GST rebate permanently to aid families in paying for their groceries.
“It’s been a really difficult few years for people in North Island – Powell River,” said Blaney. “We’ve seen families struggling to balance their mortgage payments with high grocery costs and young people being priced out of the housing market.
“It’s understandably very frustrating and discouraging.”
Protecting the oceans, lakes and rivers is also high on the priority list as Blaney says this will help prevent long-term issues that will take away from people’s wallets.
“That’s why I’ve been working closely with residents to ban Styrofoam in aquatic environments and to improve the maintenance, accuracy and reliability of weather stations around Vancouver Island,” said Blaney.
Blaney says that residents have watched the prime minister and Poilievre turn over the housing market to investors instead of people, and delay or deny help for the cost-of-living crisis.
