This past weekend, the New Democratic Party of Canada hosted a virtual national convention. Interestingly, the NDP has a proposal similar to one that the Liberal Party of Canada was also debating at their convention over the weekend, namely the proposal for a guaranteed basic income system that would alleviate poverty while maintaining the existing levels of funding for other social programs.
The list of conference speakers included NDP provincial party leaders John Horgan, Rachel Notley, Ryan Meili, Wab Kinew, and Andrea Horwath. Ed Broadbent offered remarks to open the first day of the convention.
The policy proposals put forward also included a call for legislated employer paid sick days for all federally regulated workers, with an additional 14 days of paid sick leave during public health outbreaks.
Delegates also debated a policy motion to immediately forgive all student loans and have all financial records expunged, and that the government move as quickly as possible to implement free university tuition for all students.