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Lisa Vollans-Leduc

NDP’s ‘bold plan’ can be financed, candidate says

Lisa Vollans-Leduc, the territory’s NDP candidate for Monday’s election, says her party’s platform contains “serious re-investments to tackle the problems long neglected by Liberal and Conservative governments.”

By Whitehorse Star on September 16, 2021

Lisa Vollans-Leduc, the territory’s NDP candidate for Monday’s election, says her party’s platform contains “serious re-investments to tackle the problems long neglected by Liberal and Conservative governments.”

An NDP government would make the ultra-rich and big corporations pay their share to fund the services families in the Yukon need, she said Wednesday.

Much of the $214 billion in new spending over the next five years would be offset by $166 billion in revenue raised through new taxes and other measures designed to make the ultra-rich and large, profitable corporations pay their fair share, Vollans-Leduc said.

“Yukoners have suffered during the pandemic,” she said.

“The NDP plan is about massive re-investments in people and communities – on housing, on the climate crisis, on cost of living issues, on reconciliation with First Nations.

“Justin Trudeau continues to say the right things, but after six years of broken commitments, Canadians know he’s more interested in looking like he cares about everyday families than working to make their lives easier.”

Conversely, she said, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his team have vowed to fight for a future that is more equitable, affordable, and hopeful for all Canadians, Vollans-Leduc said.

“During the pandemic, the Liberals and Conservatives voted together against Jagmeet Singh’s proposal to make the ultra-rich pay their fair share,” said Vollans-Leduc.

“Our plan is costed by the parliamentary budget officer, and I’m proud to say we are not going to put any extra burden on the working class, middle class and small businesses.”

The NDP’s spending highlights include:

• $68 billion in new health care spending over the next five years, which would fund universal prescription drug coverage, expand long-term care and home-care options, and cover dental care and mental health expenses;

• $30 billion toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples;

• $26 billion to fight climate change and support workers who may need to transition out of high-polluting industries such as oil and gas; and

• $35 billion redirected into a “climate bank” to boost investment in renewable energy.

The party’s planned new revenue streams include:

• $60 billion through a one per cent annual tax on households with wealth over $10 million;

• $44 billion through raising the capital gains inclusion rate to 75 per cent from 50 per cent;

• $25 billion through raising the corporate income tax rate to 18 per cent from 15 per cent. This would apply only to businesses that make more than $500,000 in profit;

• $14 billion through an “excess profit tax” on companies that made large profits during the COVID-19 pandemic. This would apply to only some companies that make profit in excess of $10 million per year; and

• $12 billion through cracking down on tax havens. Under an NDP regime, the Canada Revenue Agency would receive $100 million in extra funding to expand its capability to track down such funds.

Comments (17)

Up 0 Down 3

Bendover on Sep 19, 2021 at 12:43 pm

Modern industrialized nations are soul destroying as well as nature destroying, mass migration is a part of the problem, it will take more than bold to fix, and no fix will do it. Small pockets of society in certain areas of the globe may survive. We are talking about people who share Mr. Singh's persona who seem to like muscle cars, try changing that preferred life style, and everything that goes with it, with zero connection to Yukon wilderness.

Up 11 Down 3

North_of_60 on Sep 17, 2021 at 6:28 pm

“You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”
― Adrian Rogers

Up 14 Down 6

bonanzajoe on Sep 17, 2021 at 4:48 pm

Klaus G. Then how come Stephen Harper had a 25 billion dollar surplus and no deficit when he was voted out by the Liberal Justin Trudeau - who by the way racked up over 550 billion dollar debt and a 350 billion dollar deficit? Hmmm.

Up 5 Down 7

Chuck Farley on Sep 17, 2021 at 1:55 pm

JSM and the cons with their heads buried in the sand; which one is it going to be?

Up 2 Down 4

Chuck Farley on Sep 17, 2021 at 1:53 pm

Anie the hard working individuals are not the problem; you need to separate the two.

Up 11 Down 5

Wilf Carter on Sep 17, 2021 at 12:28 pm

This NDP leader does not have a clue about how economy works. But Trudeau has let all his rich friends hide money off shore - $380 billion or so and they are paying no taxes to Canada while a hard working person pay their fair share of taxes. How about Quebec not paying no carbon tax. How about Alberta paying in over $600 billion into Federal government. How about equalization payment Quebec getting 62% of it just $14 billion.

Up 15 Down 11

Klaus G. on Sep 17, 2021 at 6:36 am

My experience in the Territory with the NDP was one financial boondoggle after another as a history review would bare out. NDP and finance are like oil and water.
@Matthew fyi: Bulroney and Harpo are the one and two record holders for running up the National debt. Have a nice lunch.

Up 24 Down 8

bonanzajoe on Sep 16, 2021 at 9:19 pm

Typical NDP socialist planning: making investments without financial returns. Like the Liberals, just spend, spend, spend and expect it all to balance out. Any balancing out will be at the expense of future generations. Paying back the trillions of dollars these two partys create, will be very painful. You can take that to the bank, then to the poor house.

Up 20 Down 6

Crunch on Sep 16, 2021 at 5:39 pm

The state — or, to make matters more concrete, the government — consists of a gang of men and women exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can’t get, and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time it is made good by looting ‘A’ to satisfy ‘B’. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is a sort of advanced auction on stolen goods." HL Mencken, 1919.

Up 52 Down 14

Matthew on Sep 16, 2021 at 4:52 pm

Just like the liberals.. love spending money but don't know how to get it.. LOL! We are so doomed with Liberals or NDP in charge, absolutely ZERO fiscal responsibility!

Up 49 Down 11

Pierre on Sep 16, 2021 at 4:30 pm

National destruction party cannot add to ten not alone campaign that they can’t afford this or that. You think the liberals are out to lunch fiscally…NDP are Libs on steroids with lesser of a conscious.

Up 45 Down 14

JSM on Sep 16, 2021 at 3:51 pm

Spending 12 billion on cracking down on tax havens I think is hilariously backwards. These are absolutely ridiculous spending practices. The NDP once again must be smoking too much of that legal stuff and not spending enough time in reality. Almost, ALMOST, worse than the liberals with there head in the clouds dreams. Hilarious!

Up 45 Down 14

scott on Sep 16, 2021 at 3:38 pm

Hi NDP, guess what, the ultra rich already pay significant taxes, taxation brackets go up with income.. And you know the common trait amongst most rich people ? Hard work and sacrifice. It applies to all levels of income security. We don't need new taxes, we need more people taking jobs and paying their share of taxes.

Up 46 Down 14

Matt on Sep 16, 2021 at 3:06 pm

YES. Finally someone willing to try Karl Marx.... Venezuela did it and now Venezuela is a Utopia..... well maybe Utopia is too strong a word when 80% of the population is suffering from malnutrition. BUT they got rid of all corporations and handed out the spoils until the spoils were gone.

Please people this is a raging disaster.

Up 51 Down 14

Crunch on Sep 16, 2021 at 2:48 pm

Sorry, not giving my money to people who do not work, have no intension of working and do not contribute to society. We can't afford the libs how the hell are we going to afford you?

Up 34 Down 8

Charlie's Aunt on Sep 16, 2021 at 2:13 pm

OK everyone, please sing along: Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the Glen.

Up 47 Down 14

Anie on Sep 16, 2021 at 2:02 pm

Under the NDP proposal, why would any ambitious, hard working individual stay in Canada? Why would those 44 billionaires that Mr, Sing talks about (apparently he counted them), not just move themselves and their billions elsewhere before he takes it away? Do the NDP understand that those corporate profits over 10 million that they are so unhappy with aren't hoarded in a dark room, they are either reinvested or distributed to shareholders - and those shareholders are mostly pension funds and people's RRSP? So work hard, pay your own way, put money aside for your senior years, and the NDP will punish you. And if you thumbs down this, please provide a cogent explanation for why my retirement funds should be diverted to NDP schemes

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