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Host Peter McCully chats with Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh who discusses pressing issues such as rising inflation, the high cost of groceries, the housing crisis, healthcare, wildfires, and support for small businesses.
Singh proposes a windfall tax on corporate grocery chains that have increased their profits during difficult times, with the revenue used to reduce grocery costs through rebates.
“When people are feeling like the costs are high, they’re right, the costs are high, in fact they’re record high. And at the same time, corporate grocery chains are also posting not just any old profits, but record profits. And we said, wait a second. If your costs have gone up and you’ve kept your prices high enough to match your costs, then your profits would stay the same”.
Singh also advocates for stricter penalties for consumer abuse and increased competition in the grocery industry.
“We also need to make sure that we are following the competition bureau’s recommendations, which is to increase competition, and we want to focus on local independent grocers and having more of them”.
In a wide-ranging interview, Singh discusses the importance of expanding healthcare coverage to include dental care and medication.
With the increasing frequency of wildfires across the country, Singh joined the call for the creation of a national firefighting force. Highlighting the overreliance on international firefighters and the need for a dedicated, well-equipped force to tackle wildfires promptly.
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