When it comes to voting in Canada, a lot of people see it as an issue between red or blue, a fight between the Liberals and the Conservatives.
However, in recent years a long-standing third party has been growing in its number of seats, and is providing an alternative to the other two major parties. The New Democratic Party of Canada, or NDP, will be running in ridings across Canada on a platform of affordability and environmental sustainability.
Paul Dewar, who is the NDP candidate and incumbent MP for the Ottawa-Centre riding, said this year the NDP will focus mainly on two major points. The first of these is affordability. Dewar said this is a crucial point, especially for many Canadians suffering from debt and the effects of the recent recession.
“People are finding it hard to make ends meet. When you look at things like everyday basic needs, you know, housing [and] health care are becoming big issues for people,” he said in an interview.
In addition, Dewar said he wants to help people of all demographics be able to retire with pensions. “When you look at what the future holds for many Canadians, they're also worried about any opportunity for them to be able to retire,” he said.
“We have to acknowledge that, and innovate policy to respond to that.”
Dewar added that affordability also includes helping students tackle mounting debt due to tuition fees.
“We believe there should be in legislation a national commitment, ensuring that there are sufficient grants for students, and not just to have students increase their debt load,” he said, adding that specific promises would be announced soon.
The second of these points is fighting climate change through energy policy. Dewar said fighting for alternative energy policies is important, and the NDP will do more in the future.
“We've seen this ridiculous support for the tar sands, and at a time when we need to innovate for the kind of energy we’re using,” he said.
“For us it’s about supporting infrastructure for new energy and doing conservation.”
Right now, the NDP has 37 seats in the House of Commons, up from the 30 it held in the term before, and a stark difference to the 19 seats held after the 2004 election. The NDP hope that presence will only increase in the upcoming election.