Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke NDP
Ottawa: Sue McSheffrey, member of the Renfrew Labour Council and NDP candidate in January's federal election, yesterday joined NDP leader Jack Layton in signing a pledge to support the Workers' Bill of Rights, which affirms the ability of workers to form unions and bargain collectively.
"Protecting workers is an integral part of NDP philosophy," said McSheffrey. "The NDP worked successfully in the last Parliament to safeguard employee pensions in the event of bankruptcy. It also attempted to restrict the use of scab labour, and to stop offshore outsourcing of Canadian jobs, as well as to halt the importation of unnecessary low-wage foreign workers. Unfortunately, the Liberals and the Conservatives frustrated our efforts. The Liberals and the Conservatives are both more interested in giving large corporations greater access to cheaper foreign labour, even if this means large-scale losses of jobs for Canadians. This shows once more that only the NDP can be trusted to protect the Canadian working man and woman."Eganville: If a strong NDP group is elected to the next Parliament, it will force the government to deal with the problems of middle and low income families, according to Sue McSheffrey, NDP candidate in January's federal election. The first step she outlined is to raise the child tax credit by $1,000 over four years, bringing it to a total of $4,200. The other major step, according to McSheffrey and the NDP, is to immediately commit nearly two billion dollars to child care facilities, and use current government surpluses to keep increasing the extent of affordable day care. Such an investment would create 200,000 new child care spaces right away, and another 75,000 over the next three years.
Wed"As a working mother of two," McSheffrey said, "I know that the NDP approach is the right one. We need to supply both money and child care, including early learning opportunities, if our hard-pressed families are to cope. The Liberals have promised national child care for over a decade, and never delivered. The Conservative so-called family plan is just another disguised tax break which would benefit wealthy families far more than ordinary Canadians. The Conservatives don't seem to support national child care at all. Only the NDP plan provides balanced assistance which favours the average family," McSheffrey claimed.
Susan McSheffrey, NDP candidate in January's federal election, today described NDP fiscal policy as "people over big corporations". She said that the NDP supports those tax cuts which most favour middle and lower income Canadians. That means an increase in the personal tax credit - the basic exemption - as well as a reduction in the lowest rate for personal income tax. However, she said, the NDP opposed and continues to oppose Liberal and Conservative plans to cut corporate taxes. This would just put more money into the hands of foreign investors, Toronto lawyers, and executives of large companies.
"The Liberals and Conservatives want to give the most money to the wealthiest people. They want tax breaks for giant companies, without any requirement - or even any proof - that any jobs will be created or any workers trained with these give-aways to the rich," McSheffrey said. "The NDP instead wanMcSheffrey Says Conservatives Won't Protect Canadian Valuests the funds from large government surpluses invested in better health care, in education, and in our senior citizens. Wealthy big-city stock-holders and executives already have plenty; it's time to focus on getting results for ordinary people"
Renfrew: Sue McSheffrey, NDP candidate in January's federal election, stated that the Leaders' Debates show how much Canada needs a strong NDP presence to make sure election promises are kept. "Paul Martin talked about action on child care and housing," McSheffrey said, "but Jack Layton pointed out that it was only under NDP pressure that the Liberals ever did anything about theseMcSheffrey Says Conservatives Won't Protect Canadian Values vital issues."
According to McSheffrey, the key point of the debate was when Jack Layton showed how Liberal promises are empty. "Jack Layton showed how the Liberals have done nothing about lowering the cost of prescription drugs despite repeated promises. Layton showed how they've let air pollution increase despite all their promises. He showed how only NDP pressure in Parliament has produced any spending on child care despite over a decade of Liberal promises. Layton also showed Martin and the Liberals cut spending on housing for years until the NDP forced them to reverse themselves. The exchange showed that if you want action on programs to help ordinary Canadians, you have to vote NDP."
Renfrew: Sue McSheffrey, NDP candidate in January's federal election, today said that the Leadership debates had demonstrated how out of touch Stephen Harper is with modern Canadian values. She said that the Conservative positions on child care, health care, and industrial protection show that the Conservatives can't be trusted to defend what ordinary Canadians want safeguarded. She claimed that they stand for policies that don't reflect today's realities.
"Harper and the Conservatives oppose help for working parents," McSheffrey said. "They're lost in a 1950's Leave it to Beaver world where parents don't have to work to provide for family needs. Hence they oppose child care facilities. Unfortunately, you can't buy decent child care for $25. Now the Conservatives' rich Toronto friends may be able to afford nannies, but the vast majority of families in Renfrew County cannot. We need a national day care program. But the Conservatives are against it. They'd rather have tax give-aways which help the wealthiest people more than anyone else." People who want more child care should therefore vote NDP, McSheffrey claimed.
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