OTTAWA – Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is expected take aim at multinational web giants like Netflix and Amazon for not paying their fair share of taxes in a major speech to New Democrats this afternoon.
Singh will also blast the Liberal government’s deal with Netflix and cite the recent Colten Boushie verdict as an example of why more needs to be done to even the playing field for Indigenous people in Canada.
The speech is being delivered at the NDP’s national convention, and is Singh’s first major address to party members since he became leader last fall.
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Convention delegates have been anxiously waiting to hear Singh, who will face a mandatory leadership review after the address, and are hoping the speech will provide much-needed momentum as the NDP looks to the 2019 election.
The third-place party has been largely stagnant in public opinion polls despite Singh’s recent selection as leader, and fared poorly in several recent byelections.
Singh’s address is also expected to call for a crackdown on tax loopholes and tax havens for the rich, while pushing the need for a universal pharmacare strategy and more money for affordable housing.