Singh Announces Campaign Commitments—With First Budget Focused on Health Care, Affordability, and Housing

BURNABY – Today, Jagmeet Singh unveiled the NDP’s costed campaign commitments—laying out a plan to stand up to protect working and middle-class Canadians from the effects of Trump’s trade war, fight corporate greed, and protect what makes Canada, Canada.

The NDP plan, Made for People. Built for Canada, takes on the big challenges—from climate and reconciliation to defending democracy. But Singh made it clear: the first budget will focus where people are hurting most—rising costs, collapsing health care, and the fight to afford a home. As Trump’s trade war drives up prices, New Democrats won’t make working and middle-class Canadians pay the price.

“Mark Carney gave millionaires a tax break—and if New Democrats aren’t there to remind him to think about working people, he’ll forget,” said Singh. “If you want action on health care, housing, and affordability, you need to elect NDP MPs who won’t stop fighting for you.”

In that first budget, New Democrats will fight to:

• Guarantee access to a family doctor and primary care by 2030, by hiring more health workers, creating pan-Canadian licensure, and boosting health transfers for provinces that commit to action.
• Launch universal pharmacare, securing free diabetes medication and birth control to every province and territory—expanding to cover essential medicines by year’s end.
• Stop the privatization of health care, with legislation to strengthen the Canada Health Act and ban U.S. corporations from buying Canadian health services.
• Introduce national rent control and build 3 million homes by 2030—with tough new rules to stop corporate landlords from jacking up rents and evicting tenants.
• Cap prices on grocery essentials like pasta, frozen vegetables, and infant formula—and eliminate the GST from basics like home heating, diapers, and internet.
• Fix Employment Insurance so that losing your job doesn’t mean losing everything—by lowering the hours needed to qualify, extending coverage, and raising the minimum weekly benefit.

To fund these investments, the NDP would make the ultra-wealthy and big corporations finally pay their share. That means ending fossil fuel subsidies, closing corporate loopholes, and cracking down on tax havens. The plan introduces a 1–3% wealth tax on fortunes over $10 million, a 2% surtax on massive corporate profits, and we’ll stand firm on capital gains reforms the Liberals backed away from.

A Responsible Plan That Puts People First

The NDP’s plan is built to withstand global uncertainty—including the threat of a Trump-led trade war. It includes:

• A clear fiscal target: a falling debt-to-GDP ratio by year four, even under pessimistic economic forecasts;
• A built-in contingency reserve to respond to external shocks and keep public services stable;
• Revenue focused on the ultra-wealthy and corporate profits, not working families; and
• Investments with a proven economic return—including housing, infrastructure, and income supports that keep people working and reduce long-term costs.

“We’re not going to cut public services to balance the books on the backs of working people—we’re going to make multi-millionaires, and big corporations finally pay their share,” said Singh.

Singh laid out major commitments on climate, jobs, and justice:

• Cutting emissions and energy bills by retrofitting every building in Canada by 2050, building a national clean energy grid, and ending fossil fuel subsidies by 2026.
• Standing with workers through a “Build Canadian, Buy Canadian” plan, support for union jobs in clean industries, and expanded protections for EI, pensions, and fair wages.
• Protecting democracy with electoral reform, a foreign agent registry, stronger oversight of election interference, and a crackdown on misinformation and hate online.
• Putting reconciliation into action, with full implementation of the TRC and MMIWG Calls to Action, Indigenous-led housing and infrastructure investments, and a commitment to uphold rights and jurisdiction in all areas—including trade.

And when it comes to Donald Trump’s escalating trade threats, Singh didn’t mince words:

“The NDP will never let Donald Trump—or anyone else—use a trade deal to attack our public services, Indigenous rights, or environmental protections,” said Singh.