OTTAWA - On Wednesday, NDP MP Alistair MacGregor, joined by members of the Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium called on the Liberal government to support his plan to create a National Brain Injury Strategy, as more than 1.5 million Canadians have been left to cope with the aftermaths of brain injuries alone.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2023

NDP Food Price Inflation Critic calls out Liberals botched food price ‘plan’ and offers real solution

OTTAWA – On Tuesday, NDP Food Price Inflation Critic Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan – Malahat – Langford) called out the Liberals and Conservatives for backing rich grocery CEOs who are jacking up prices, instead of working for Canadians. This comes after the Liberal Industry Minister said that, following the meeting where he politely asked grocery CEOs to ‘stabilize’ prices, they haven’t been “forthcoming”. MacGregor said the Liberals’ out-of-touch approach won’t work and offered the government a real plan to lower grocery bills for Canadians – which would give the Competition Bureau more power to increase competition and stop price-fixing.

Here is MacGregor’s question:

“The Liberals’ out-of-touch plan of nicely asking rich grocery CEOs to lower prices hasn’t worked.

“Wishing” and “hoping” that rich CEOs will do the right thing won’t help families put food on the table.

And grocery prices are still going up after 22 months.

Canadians expect action, but the Liberals are out to lunch – and the Conservatives, you are all words but have no real plan. 

When is the Minister going to get real about helping Canadian families, and support the NDP’s plan to lower food prices?”

Watch MacGregor ask his question in Parliament
 

2024 pets of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford calendar contest

If you would like to see your furry (feathery etc.) friend included in the 2024 edition, submit your photo.

Submit your photo(s) by email to: [email protected]

Put CALENDAR PHOTO in the subject line.

Include the following information in your email:

• Your name
• Your pet's name
• Your address, including postal code
• A brief (40 words or fewer) description of your pet

Deadline to submit is November 20th, 2023

Important guidelines for submitting photos

Each year, a number of photos are disqualified from consideration because the image size is too small, the pet is not the focal point of the photo, or the images include humans. Following are some hints for choosing and submitting a winning photo:

• Photos must be high resolution - at least 1MB.
• Do not send directly from your phone. Image files are compressed by phones when they are emailed.
• Upload your photo(s) to a computer or tablet before sending.
• Attach the original high resolution image to the email (send as an attachment).
• Pick a photo that will work with the shape of the calendar. Landscape is the best option.
• Pick a photo where your pet is the focal point of the image.

Official Rules:

1. Pets (and their humans) must live in the Cowichan-Malahat-Langford riding.
2. All pets are eligible.
3. Photos must be in jpg or tiff format.
4. Photos can include multiple pets (include info for all the pets in the photo).
5. Photos cannot include humans.
6. Only 1 photo per pet and no more than 3 photos per household may be submitted.
7. Photos must be colour and at least 1MB in size.
8. Deadline to submit is November 20th, 2023

   

NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson issued the following statement:

"Today is a devastating and terrifying day. Hamas’ call for a Day of Rage is awful. Israel’s order to displace 1.1 million innocent Gazans is reprehensible. The region is spiralling, and Canada must act now to save lives.

I am alarmed by what we are witnessing from the siege of Gaza. Children, women, and the elderly are indiscriminately attacked. The use of white phosphorus is a war crime and now, Israel’s demand to move over 1.1 million people south is both illegal & impossible. 

On Sunday, New Democrats in Cowichan – Malahat – Langford nominated current NDP Member of Parliament Alistair MacGregor to be their candidate in the next federal election.

MacGregor, who serves as the NDP’s Food Price Inflation and Agriculture and Agri-Food Critics, has played a key role in fighting to tackle high food prices and bringing costs down. MacGregor successfully called for a parliamentary study into food prices and corporate greed earlier this year, which forced grocery giants, like Loblaw CEO Galen Weston, to publicly testify about how their practices are impacting food prices and inflation.

“Alistair has done important work for Canadians by fighting against the corporate greed driving up food prices. Without New Democrats like Alistair leading the way, these grocery giants would’ve never had to testify and be held accountable for their role in the cost-of-living crisis,” said Canada’s NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. “While the Liberals and Conservatives ignored Canadians who were worried about keeping food on the table, all because their rich friends were happy - Alistair and the NDP were the first to raise alarm bells. I know he and other New Democrats will keep pushing until people get more relief and help with covering their grocery bills.”

On Wednesday, New Democrats urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to stop standing by and start making life more affordable for Canadian families. This call comes after Tuesday’s raging inflation numbers showing grocery prices increased by 8.5 per cent, rent by 5.5 per cent, and mortgages hit a record increase of 30.6 per cent.

“Everything keeps getting more expensive, while wages don’t keep up.  And when interest rates rise, it only hurts families more,” said NDP MP Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford).  “Where is the Prime Minister to start helping families? His government needs to start showing up for people in real, tangible ways to provide relief as families' monthly budget goes through the roof.”
Statistics Canada reveals that the gap between rich and poor Canadians is growing fastest on record. And Canada currently has the most expensive housing market among the G7 nations. Under the Liberals, life is only getting harder for Canadians. 

This fall, while the Liberals and Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives talk about cuts, the NDP will fight to make CEOs and big corporations pay what they owe and for solutions that will put more money in working people’s pockets. New Democrats will fight for solutions to increase workers’ wages and lower rent, mortgage, food, Internet and cellphone bills and medication costs. 
“Not nearly enough is being done to fight corporate greed, which is a key driver of inflation. My NDP colleagues and I want to fight for the everyday Canadian who plays by the rules, does everything right but keeps falling further behind,” said MacGregor. “Neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives have demonstrated a willingness to support bold policies to help working families. It doesn’t have to be that way – Canadians have another choice – the NDP – who will always fight, so you and your family get ahead.”

My Mortgage Auction Corp (MMAC) is owned by Greg Martel, a “formerly accredited" mortgage broker who has been doing business in Canada and the USA.  For years, Mr. Martel has been seeking out investors to invest in private real estate lending opportunities (bridge loans), with his own personal guarantee to safeguard investors’ funds. BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) regulatory agency says Gregory Martel, owner of Shop Your Own Mortgage (SYOM), can no longer conduct any mortgage broker activity in the province, effective immediately.

Over 2000 investors were issued fraudulent T5 slips from Mr. Martel and are now facing tax implications and are burdened with paying enormous taxes on money they never earned or received. At this time there is an open investigation into SYOM/MMAC with the BC Securities Commission who would be responsible for laying criminal charges. 

My NDP colleagues MP Randall Garrison of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke and MP Laurel Collins of Victoria and I have called on the Minster of National Revenue Honourable Diane Lebouthillier to take exceptional actions to address these issues including:

• The designation of a CRA liaison who is assigned specifically to this issue.
• The creation of a specific contact number through which our affected constituents can speak directly with CRA agents.
• The assignment of a specialized group of assessors assigned to the numerous MMAC appeals that are being submitted so they can be addressed promptly and uniformly.  
• The rescindment of all fraudulent T5s submitted by MMAC throughout its operation (2007 – 2023) and a reassessment of those returns.   

You can read the full letter here. 

The Bank of Canada recently raised interest rates again, putting even more strain on small businesses trying to keep up with their rent and mortgages. In a move to help small businesses, Canada’s NDP sent a letter to the Minister of Finance calling on her to extend the Canada Emergency Business Accounts (CEBA) loan payment deadline by a year. 

“Small business owners, and New Democrats, are tired of watching both the Conservatives and Liberals make big promises and then only work for the ultra-wealthy,” said NDP MP Alistair MacGregor . “It’s wrong – and it doesn’t need to be like this. The NDP wants to see the scales tipped in favour of everyday local shop owners and extending the CEBA deadline would be a good first start.”

"On Red Dress Day, we acknowledge the spirits of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Sprit people who have been failed by the institutions that are meant to protect them. From 2016 to 2021, 247 Indigenous women were identified as homicide victims. This story is all too common in our country. On May 5th, I had the privilege of sharing a few words with the Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society and Cowichan Tribes surrounding the importance of Red Dress Day. I mentioned that the red dresses are a visual reminder of the, sadly, ongoing genocide, and serve as a call-to-action for all, but particularly, those of us in government, to take further action towards protecting indigenous women and girls. 

"New Democrats know that action is needed. That’s why we have called on the government to implement a Red Dress alert system, similar to an Amber Alert, in order to make a difference in the peace and security that Indigenous women, girls and two spirit people feel in Canada. Rest assured, we will continue fighting to form a government that provides immediate action, not more excuses. As always, I remain committed to holding the government accountable in the fight for justice for all indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people. Because every Canadian has a right to live in safety, with security and dignity."

-Alistair MacGregor, MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford 

Canada's NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued the following statement:

“I am deeply disappointed by the government's failure to reach an agreement with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). These dedicated workers answered the call to action during the pandemic – making sure that Canadians had the support they needed to get through a challenging time.

For two years, PSAC members have been voicing their legitimate demands for fair wages, job security, and a safe working environment. Yet, the government continued to drag its feet and has provoked this crisis.

New Democrats stand in solidarity with these workers and their demands for respect. They had Canadians’ backs when we needed them - now we have theirs.”