Peggy Nash says the federal government needs to invest in the country’s transit system.
And if she were Prime Minister, the NDP leadership hopeful from Parkdale-High Park, said it would do just that. Nash said under her watch, the federal government would provide ten years of funding for a national transit strategy.
“We need to invest in transit. It’s good for the environment, it’s good for people’s lifestyle, it’s good for the economy,” Nash said after a tour of Bombardier Monday in Thunder Bay. “And when we build the transit vehicles here it’s creating good paying jobs with huge spinoffs for communities.”
Nash said across the country, jobs and the economy are on people’s minds. But the Conservative government has taken too much of a hands-off approach when it comes to getting people back to work. She wants to see natural resources processed in Canada rather than shipped away and exported back as products.
“That’s where the high value added jobs are. It’s where the high technology is, the productivity is and the innovation is. Canada is really lagging when it comes to innovation,” she said.
Giving a company huge tax breaks and hoping that benefits will trickle down is not the answer Nash said.
“If we’re going to help a company they’re commitment in exchange is to focus on jobs and regional development,” she said.
Nash said what sets her apart from the other seven candidates looking to lead the NDP is her experience as a labour negotiator. She has worked with business and unions and understands the importance of manufacturing. The NDP will vote for a new leader in Toronto in March.
