At NDP convention, a new wealth tax on millionaires and a $20 minimum wage gain favour

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At NDP convention, a new wealth tax on millionaires and a $20 minimum wage gain favour One resolution that didn’t make it to a vote was a proposal to 'abolish billionaires' by taxing them at a 100 per cent rate Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Article content The NDP voted in favour of new wealth taxes on millionaires and a $20 minimum wage during its weekend policy convention, at which leader Jagmeet Singh said his party’s focus on making the ultra-rich pay “their fair share” distinguishes the NDP from the Liberals. The Liberals “chose to side with those at the very top, the ultra-wealthy,” he said in a speech. “It shouldn’t be a surprise. This is who the Liberals really are.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or At NDP convention, a new wealth tax on millionaires and a $20 minimum wage gain favour Back to video The NDP tax resolution includes a marginal tax rate of 80 per cent for individuals whose personal incomes are over $1 million, as well as a one-per-cent tax on those with “fortunes over $20 million.” It also involves a tax on “pandemic and disaster excess profit,” which “at least” doubles the tax rate and would apply to “increased corporate profits in times of crisis.” More On This Topic Trudeau takes aim at O'Toole in address to Liberal party faithful Conrad Black: The Opposition's odious ineptitude

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Article content Speaking in favour of the resolution at the convention, Singh said it’s aimed at making sure the “ultra-wealthy contribute their fair share, so we can reinvest into the things that we need,” such as better health care that includes mental health, dental, and pharmacare, as well as paid sick leave. The tax motion also calls for closing tax loopholes and action to address tax cheats and tax havens, requiring web giants to pay their share, and eliminating corporate tax credits if they’re not accompanied by job protection and job creation guarantees. The party isn’t obligated to include the convention resolutions in its election platform, but it did campaign on a one-per-cent tax on wealth over $20 million in the last election and introduced a motion calling for such a tax in the House of Commons last fall. In his speech on Sunday, Singh said “those who profited off the pandemic, the ultra-wealthy,” and large corporations who make profits in the country but don’t pay taxes in Canada should be the ones who pay the cost of the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. When it comes to weathering the pandemic, Canadians aren’t all in the same boat, he argued. “We’re certainly in the same storm, but some of us are in leaky lifeboats, while others are in luxury yachts. In this storm, the Liberals continue to side with those in luxury yachts,” Singh said.

Article content Only 13 resolutions from a shortlist of 140, and an initial total of 500, made it to a vote over the weekend convention. On Saturday much of the time allotted to debating resolutions, which multiple delegates said wasn’t long enough in the first place, was taken up by points of order and complaints about technical, accessibility and structural problems with the virtual convention. Singh said at a press conference Sunday that the party wanted to prioritize debate, but said the disadvantage of that was that fewer resolutions come through. “It’s something we’ll keep working on. I recognize it’s a challenge,” he said in French. Among those that did pass was a resolution to end “all trade and economic cooperation with illegal settlements in Israel-Palestine,” and suspend “bilateral trade of all arms and related materials” with Israel. Singh didn’t answer when he was asked whether the resolution will make it into the party’s platform. He said it’s “based on a lot of evidence that we’ve heard from international human rights groups that say that we need to apply pressure to achieve a solution” to the Israel-Palestine conflict. “That’s something I support. To achieve a peaceful resolution we need to, as an international community, use our tools to achieve that,” he said.

Article content In response to a question about whether the resolution opens up the party to accusations of anti-Semitism, Singh said he wasn’t concerned, and is committed to fighting anti-Semitism. “I strongly believe in Israel’s right to exist, and I have raised concerns about criticism that that could be characterized as anti-Semitism,” he said. A proposal to oppose the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism did not make it to the floor for voting. Other resolutions that passed over the weekend included motions to eliminate for-profit long-term care and making long-term care part of the universal health care system, to push the federal government to legislate paid sick days for all workers that fall under its jurisdiction, and a resolution in favour of solidarity with protesting farmers in India. One resolution that didn’t make it to a vote was proposal to “abolish billionaires” by taxing all gross wealth above $1 billion at a 100 per cent. When Singh was asked at a press conference Friday whether he agrees with the resolution, he responded that he agrees with the sentiment behind it, saying in French the proposal is a “manifestation of people’s frustration” with the “absurd inequality in society right now.” As the party works on the policy that may make it into the next election, it’s also preparing financially for that campaign. Officials told reporters Friday the NDP has now paid off its debt from the 2015 and 2019 elections, and given factors such as fundraising numbers and positive polling, including for Singh’s leadership, it plans to spend double what it did in 2019 in the next election campaign.

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