NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh makes campaign stop in Edmonton, takes shots at Jason Kenney over health care

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Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took shots at Premier Jason Kenney’s “attacks” on health-care workers Thursday and promised to create a $250-million Critical Shortages Fund to address the shortage of nurses and health-care workers across Canada if he becomes prime minister.

Singh, the first federal leader to visit Alberta this election campaign, was in the Conservative-held riding of Edmonton Griesbach. His party is promising to ensure that provinces also commit funding specifically for health-care workers and says the federal fund would help train and hire 2,000 nurses.

“Alberta families are getting it from all sides — Jason Kenney attacks nurses and health-care workers and the Justin Trudeau government is carrying on with Conservative health-care funding cuts,” Singh said in a statement.

“Conservatives always cut health care, and while Justin Trudeau promised he would reverse the cut he has not. He has kept delivering less. New Democrats will restore funding for health care and make sure it’s used to improve health-care services by hiring nurses.”

Kenney and the UCP government have been fighting with health-care workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, both struggling to sign a new contract with doctors and in contentious negotiations with the nurses union, which has included a proposal that nurses take pay cuts.

The Alberta government has also faced significant criticism over hospital bed closures across the province due to staffing shortages.

The premier’s office did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

When asked whether his plan this election was to try and capitalize on Kenney’s lack of popularity to get votes for federal NDP candidates, Singh said conservatives can’t be trusted with health care.

“Absolutely, we’re going to point to Jason Kenney and his bad decisions that hurt people. We’re going to point to conservatives that can’t be trusted with health care and we’re going to point to Justin Trudeau, who continues to do the exact same thing, leaving health-care workers, and most importantly people, behind,” he said.

Mount Royal University associate professor of policy studies Lori Williams said it’s clear Singh is trying to make a connection between federal and provincial conservatives.

Based on current polling it doesn’t look like the NDP is in a position to pick up any additional seats outside of the Edmonton Strathcona riding held by NDP MP Heather McPherson, she said. McPherson is currently the only non-Conservative MP in Alberta.

“But it’s really important to Jagmeet Singh that the Conservatives not gain momentum anywhere in Canada,” Williams said.

“Because if the Conservative numbers come up, and it looks like the Conservatives are in a position to potentially form even a minority government, then voters will defect from the NDP to vote for the Liberals in order to prevent a Conservative government.”

Williams said Conservatives will still pick up the vast majority of the 34 federal seats in Alberta but that support for federal Conservatives has softened in part because of concerns about both Kenney and federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole.

“If somebody can pick off a couple of … seats in Alberta, then that potentially gives Jagmeet Singh an opening to make the arguments he’s been making and that is that in opposition in a minority government he is going to advocate for the interests of vulnerable Canadians,” she said.

“That message can resonate as long as the Conservatives aren’t in a position to threaten to become the government.”

Singh ended the day at a whistlestop with local NDP candidates. Again, he invoked the premier’s name, saying that Kenney “turned his back” on health-care workers.

“We said to these workers, you are heroes and you should be treated like heroes.,” Singh said.

Canadians go to the polls for the federal vote on Sept. 20.

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