NDP candidate criticizes Liberal’s promise to students

With Election Day only days away, the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) is trying to push their way to the forefront, asserting that it has more to offer than the Liberals, Torries or Bloc.

Traditionally labeled as the “third party of Canadian government,” many Canadians thought the NDP and leader Jack Layton took a chance last November when they decided to take down the Liberal minority government by siding with the Bloc Quebecois and the Conservatives. Now, NDP MPs hope their actions will provide them with more seats in parliament.

Matthew McLauchlin is the NDP candidate running in the Jeanne-Le Ber riding of Montreal. McLauchlin, a translator who graduated from McGill University, criticized the Liberal’s latest proposal to reinvest in post-secondary education.

“The Liberals position themselves a tiny bit on the right of [the NDP], but govern on the Conservative left,” said the 24-year-old.

According to McLauchlin, in 2004 almost half of all bachelor degree graduates left school with deficits that averaged $20,000. Having also highlighted the $4 billion in federal cuts to education, McLauchlin made clear that only the NDP will “get something done for students.”

“The Liberals have continually lied to Canadian students,” McLauchlin said. “The NDP stopped the billions of dollars in corporate tax cuts the Liberals didn’t campaign on, and we included $1.5 billion for post-secondary education.”

An NDP candidate since the 2000 election, McLauchlin also has many local initiatives for his riding. First and foremost is social housing.

“There are 1.7 million people who are badly housed in Canada,” McLauchlin said. “If elected, we are prepared to offer $1 billion into social housing.”

McLauchlin also addressed the ongoing Montreal Casino movement to Pointe St. Charles. Currently, the casino is built on federal land and if accepted by the government, could be built and relocated in Pointe St. Charles. Nevertheless, McLauchlin feels there is an overwhelming resentment from residents towards the casino and assured that he is opposed to using federal lands.

“The residents of Pointe St. Charles signed a petition against the move of the casino,” he said, pointing out the area’s anti-casino protest earlier this fall.

Train noise is also one of McLauchlin’s concerns for his riding. Having trains pass through Pointe St. Charles at all hours of the day and night, McLauchlin believes “the railway creates an unhealthy amount of noise.”

“I will put restrictions on what times trains will be able to pass through the city,” he said. “These restrictions will allow trains to pass through at more sensible times of the day,”he said.

On Monday, Jack Layton urged unhappy Liberal voters to shy away from Paul Martin’s promises and give the NDP a chance “just this once.” Throughout the week, Layton has been taking shots at both the Liberals and Conservatives, boasting the NDP as an alternative choice for Canadian voters.

The latest polls indicate that the NDP currently has 16 per cent of Canadians’ support. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are in first with 40 per cent, followed by the Liberals at 27 per cent, the Bloc Quebecois at 11 per cent, and the Green Party with 6 per cent.

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