NDP Caves to Liberal War Budget
by Barry Weisleder
The federal Liberal minority government tabled its first budget on November 4. As predicted, it proved to be a war budget, one that steals tens of billions from health, education, public services, and climate action in order to pour it into quadrupling Canadian military spending and buying American weapons systems. By way of comparison, there is $81 billion over 5 years going to the armed forces, and only $13 billion to build affordable housing. The federal budget includes tax cuts for the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, increased border militarization, and attacks on migrants. It presents ongoing subsidies to new fossil fuel infrastructure, mega pipelines, and large-scale extraction projects, to be erected across Indigenous lands without Indigenous consent.
Washington’s trade war persists. Sadly, the only response considered by Canadian officials is the counter-tariff, and in the case of Doug Ford the purchase of expensive TV ads that extol Ronald Reagan. No consideration is given to potential protests, including strike action by workers on both sides of the border who are harmed by protectionist tariffs. The patriotic framing of the issue by capitalist politicians is designed to evoke support for ‘sacrifice’, social expenditure cutbacks, and so-called ‘nation building’ mega-projects that will enrich the very wealthy and harm the vast majority of workers and consumers. It is the very framework of the latest federal Liberal budget.
Clearly, the Mark Carney Liberals have shifted dramatically to the right, incorporating many of the policies of the hard right wing Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre. Carney’s agenda is viciously anti-labour. It has virtually terminated the right to strike in the public sector, applying Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to break a number of strikes.
The Liberals are moving rapidly to dismantle Canada Post Corp. on the road to privatization of its vital services. Completely abandoning the rhetoric of environmentalism, on top of weakening contradictory past Liberal policies, Carney is stepping up efforts to fast-track pipelines that will cause forests to burn longer and more extensively. The government is speeding up the plunder of resources in flagrant violation of Indigenous land rights.
Ottawa is piling injustices upon migrant workers, immigrants and racialized minorities while comforting neo-Nazis and racist scum.The ruling class is turning decisively towards authoritarianism. In the works are federal Bubble Zones where free speech, especially pro-Palestinian speech, is banned. Ontario has seized control of large school boards, leaning towards the abolition of elected trustees. Premier Thug Ford is merging dozens of regulatory agencies to cover up more cuts. The rights of trans people are openly under attack in Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Public health care and education are on life-support. There’s mega money for war; not so much for housing and affordable food.
Forever wars and brutal genocide mark this ugly period in human history. Disgracefully, no party in Parliament calls for a cut to military spending. None demand that Canada exit NATO, the war mongers’ alliance. Among NDP leadership candidates only Yves Engler, the Socialist Caucus nominee, demands a break with the U.S. war machine. Only Yves said vote to defeat the Liberal budget.
Interim NDP leader Don Davies nervously stated that the NDP Caucus of MPs needed more time to study a document that targets the elimination of 40,000 federal public service jobs. On November 17, two of the seven NDP MPs abstained in the Commons vote. Shamefully, that ensured passage of the war/austerity budget 170 to 168. Had all NDPers voted to defeat it, as did Bloc Quebecois MPs, the Liberal Speaker of the House could easily have broken a tie in favour of the government. Instead, Davies put privilege before principle, just as Jagmeet Singh and his caucus did in propping up the Justin Trudeau regime for over two years, with disastrous results for the NDP and the working class.
Socialists refused to condone passage of a budget that guts public services, attacks migrants, exploits Indigenous lands, fuels climate collapse, ramps up war and militarism, and allows Canada’s richest corporations to hoard wealth while ordinary people suffer.
The Policy Platform for the Yves Engler Leadership Campaign champions a bold anti-capitalist alternative. The platform unapologetically calls for a socialist transformation of Canada - “organizing working and oppressed people to dismantle corporate control, give democratic and economic power to the working class and build a society rooted in justice, equality and solidarity”. Its analysis and demands reflect the insights and lessons from real world struggles in the communities, workplaces and campuses. It envisions a reinvigorated NDP of workers, Indigenous people, youth and all those resisting imperialism and fighting to expose the injustices of capitalism.