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Trudeau Commits to Introducing National Long-Term Care Standards
Justin Trudeau continued his tour of B.C. on Thursday with a stop in Victoria to announce the Liberal Party's long-term care plan. While the Liberal leader stated he has no intention of "micro-managing" long-term care, he committed to developing national long-term care standards, and tabling the Safe Long Term Care Act. Trudeau also pledged to invest $9 billion to address shortfalls in the long-term sector demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including:
- Raising the minimum wage for personal support workers to at least $25 per hour; and,
- Doubling the Home Accessibility Tax Credit to $20,000, which will provide up to an additional $1,500 for seniors.
Blanchet Calls on Trudeau to Stay Out of Provincial Jurisdiction
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet was in Gatineau on Thursday where he offered his 'unconditional' support for Canada's premiers in their bid to secure increased federal health transfers. Earlier this week, the Council of the Federation released a statement asking the federal government to increase its share of healthcare costs from 22% to 35%. "Provinces and territories currently pay for 78% of health care costs," read the statement, "if nothing is done, the federal share will continue to decline."
At a second campaign stop, held in Lachute, Quebec, Blanchet called on Prime Minister Trudeau and New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh to abandon their plans of imposing federal standards on Quebec's long-term care hospitals. The Bloc Québécois leader stated that instead of trying to interfere in provincial jurisdiction, the two leaders should join the broad consensus among provincial leaders that transfers must be increased.
Singh Highlights Healthcare Worker Shortage
Jagmeet Singh was in Edmonton on Thursday announcing that he would address the nurse and healthcare worker shortage in Canada with a $250 million "Critical Shortages Fund." The Fund, according to the NDP, would help train and hire 2,000 nurses. "We are the party of health care," Singh said, "we have long fought for it, and we will continue to fight for it." Today's commitment is part of the NDP's suite of health care promises, which includes implementing universal pharmacare by 2022 with an annual investment of $10 billion, and developing national long-term care standards.
O'Toole Would Release 15% of Federal Buildings to Build Affordable Housing
Conservative leader Erin O'Toole was in Ottawa on Thursday highlighting his party's affordable housing strategy. "It's time to face the facts," O'Toole said, "we have a housing crisis in Canada." O'Toole said the Conservatives would start building 1 million affordable homes within the next three years by "releasing at least 15% of the buildings that belong to the federal government" and incentivizing foreign investment into rental housing. The Conservative's affordable housing strategy would also:
- Make changes to Canada's mortgage rules to make it easier for first time home buyers and non-permanent employees to get a mortgage;
- Ban foreign investors not planning on living in Canada from buying homes for a two year period; and,
- Implement "comprehensive changes" to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to stop criminals from using the Canadian real estate market to money-launder.
In a statement, the NDP said that O'Toole's plan to ban foreign investors from buying houses had a "massive loophole" because foreign investors could pretend that they are planning to move to Canada, which would mean the ban would no longer cover them.
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