Hughes ready to campaign safely in the pandemic

With a fourth wave of Covid brewing in the background, Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing NDP candidate Carol Hughes says she is ready to campaign safely, but would have preferred to wait until the pandemic was better controlled before asking Canadians to participate in a federal election.

“In many ways the election is unnecessary,” said Hughes. “New Democrats were more than clear with the government that we would continue to work with them to help Canadians through the pandemic.  Instead, the Liberals are more concerned with their political fortunes and stopping committees that are investigating ethical issues.”

Despite concerns about campaigning in the pandemic, Hughes says New Democrats are offering voters a clear choice and points to the work the party did in the last parliament that helped support households and businesses through the worst of the pandemic.

“It was a minority parliament, and we used our leverage to improve programs like the CERB and Wage Subsidy (CEWS),” said Hughes. “The other opposition parties were more concerned with themselves and have nothing to point to as a result.”

Despite the help New Democrats were able to secure for everyday Canadians, Hughes says there is a mountain of work ahead to make sure that the pandemic costs aren’t placed on working Canadians shoulders.

“It’s time for the ultra-wealthy and pandemic profiteers to pay their fair share,” said Hughes.  “We’ve also identified dozens of profitable companies that took the wage subsidy and then handed out executive bonuses.  It reminds us of the mistakes that Conservatives made with banks and large corporations in the economic collapse of 2008.”