NPD leader Jagmeet Singh pledged on Saturday to financial breakdowns for Canadian students, promising to end federal student loan interest “immediately and permanently,” as well as forgive student debt.
Singh unveiled his latest campaign promise outside the University of Sudbury ahead of the September 20 federal election.
Singh said students have been one of the Canadians hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that forgiving their debt would give young people a necessary stage.
“Students have a hard time graduating, so we want to go beyond completely eliminating interest,” Singh said.
“We also want to forgive student debt to make sure they are not crushed by the weight of that debt.”
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The troubled Laurentian University of Sudbury recently saw nearly 60 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs in the midst of an insolvency restructuring plan, an action Singh said could “have been avoided” with government help. led by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.
The University of Sudbury was affiliated with Laurentian until May, when Laurentian ended its relationship with its three federated universities. Laurentiana declared insolvency in February.
Singh described the Laurentians as vital to the north, and described the recent cuts as a “lasting blow” to the area’s indigenous and francophone communities.
Singh’s appearance in the media on Saturday began with a presentation by Sudbury NPD candidate Nadia Verrelli, who said she was “full of excitement” over the cuts to Laurentian.
The NDP lost the Sudbury selection in the 2019 election, and fell to Liberals Paul Lefebvre by 5,718 votes.
The NDP won a total of 24 seats in 2019, with 15.9% of the overall vote. The Liberals are looking for a majority government in this election and would need 170 seats to reach that threshold. In 2019 they won 157 seats.
This year’s major political party campaigns focus on Canada’s post-pandemic recovery plan.
Singh on Saturday applied for a national vaccine passport, saying the federal government has a role to play in providing Canadians with vaccination tests that facilitate international and local travel.
Provinces such as Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba have already stated that a vaccination test will soon be needed for people to participate in certain non-essential services. And senior Ontario government sources said Friday that the province plans to follow suit by unveiling its own vaccine certificate system early next week.
The introduction of this system would represent a significant investment for Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford, who has publicly rejected the idea and said it would create a “divided society”.
More than 75% of eligible Canadians were fully vaccinated as of Friday, while nearly 84% have received at least one dose.
Singh said a system of vaccination certificates reflects the wishes of most Canadians.
“Doug Ford finally sees the light and makes that decision,” he said.
While Singh said provincial governments have “absolutely right and should” establish a vaccine requirement system, he added that the federal government can implement a national document to streamline the travel process.
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“Why not provide us with an easy document at the federal level so we can travel to our own country?” Singh said. “And that’s why we think, just to make life easier, to simplify it, why not have a federal document? That is our plan. “
The Liberals pledged to fund the provinces to implement vaccine certificates on Friday, while Trudeau pointed to Conservative leader Erin O’Toole not to require vaccination of all Conservative candidates.
The issuance of a vaccine certificate has been controversial in the campaign. Friday’s Trudeau stops in southern Ontario were met with fierce protests and the Liberal leader canceled the nightly rally due to a security threat.
Singh condemned the protesters and added that “the vast majority” of Canadians support a vaccine document.
“No one should have to cancel an event because they are concerned about a danger to the safety of people coming to a political event,” he said. “That shouldn’t happen.”
© 2021 The Canadian Press