NDP calls on N.L. government to eliminate HST on all home heating
Skyrocketing power bills from Newfoundland's only utility company has NDP Leader Jim Dinn looking to the past for a solution.
Dinn says people are struggling with the sudden spike of their electricity bills, following reports of some Newfoundland Power bills more than doubling.
"One constituent of mine, who heats their home and hot water with oil and only uses electricity for her fridge, stove and lights has seen her bill triple," Dinn said on Monday."Others are sitting in the dark, lighting candles, calling on blankets to keep warm and choosing between food, their mortgage or their electric bill."
Taking a page from the PC government's 2012 playbook, Dinn is asking the current provincial government to re-enact the residential energy rebate, which introduced an eight per cent rebate on electricity and heating fuel — eliminating the harmonized sales tax.
"Removing the provincial portion of the HST from all forms of home heating, something that has been done before, would go a long way to help people struggling to heat their homes," Dinn said.
'Not possible'
But Finance Minister Siobhan Coady says removing HST from home heating is not possible. She says that's a federal responsibility.
"The province of Newfoundland and Labrador doesn't have much control, if any control, on what is included in HST," Coady said.
Dinn maintains that HST can be removed with a push from the province.
"Not only is she not going to ask them, she's not interested in asking," he said. "It can be done if there's a political will to do so. But the minister has indicated that they have no political will to do so."
Cold weather, high winds
Glenda Power, spokesperson for Newfoundland Power, told CBC News cold temperatures and high winds contribute substantially to power usage, as heating systems have to work harder to maintain a steady temperature within the home.
She says complaints about increased power usage are common during winter, and customers don't pay for power they don't use.
"Increased usage doesn't mean you've turned your thermostat up," Power told CBC News on Monday.
The Public Utilities Board has asked Newfoundland Power to file a report on how it ensures the accuracy of meter readings and investigate whether billing errors could have occurred given a high volume of complaints to the board.
The PUB expects Newfoundland Power's findings to be reported to the board by March 21.
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National Observer
37 minutes ago
- National Observer
NDP grassroots buck against 'top-down' leadership race
After the unmitigated disaster that was the NDP's 2025 election result, prominent members are pushing back against an 'elitist' leadership race and want the party to rebuild from the grassroots up. 'We lost touch, and we have to be honest about that,' former MP Charlie Angus said at a June 11 press conference in Ottawa. 'We have to re-engage with people.' When asked about Angus' comments, NDP interim leader Don Davies said it was a 'tough election' but he doesn't think the party lost touch. The question of how to rebuild has become existential: the NDP is down to seven MPs and lost official party status for the first time since 1993. This limits the party's influence significantly. They no longer get a seat on committees to study issues and amend legislation, and no longer have the right to ask daily questions of the government during Question Period, among other lost privileges. The party is searching for a way out of the wilderness, and doing so without a leader. According to Angus, the party needs two things: a strong leader and a return to grassroots organizing. But the NDP must do more than just rally behind a leader, he emphasized. 'Nothing against Jagmeet [Singh], but we stopped being the New Democratic Party. We became Team Jagmeet, and that wasn't selling,' Angus said in an interview with Canada's National Observer. With the NDP reduced to seven seats, Former MP Charlie Angus and party activists are pushing back against a "top-down approach" to the NDP leadership race and instead are advocating for a return to grassroots organizing. 'If it's all about just going to cheer on the leader, then the riding associations start to disintegrate,' he said. Proposed leadership contest rules controversial Angus, who once again ruled out a bid for the leadership, has run before: he ran against Singh in the 2017 NDP leadership race. At the time, the entry fee was $30,000. Now, there are rumblings among a handful of prominent New Democrats that the entry fee could go up to $150,000, the Globe and Mail reported last month. Angus said he doesn't know what an acceptable fee for entry is but said $150,000 'seems like a high number.' Brad Lavigne, a key member of former NDP leader Jack Layton's leadership team who also participated in Thomas Mulclair's race, said the leadership campaign needs to strike the balance between duration, financial viability and broad support. Running a long leadership race can make the costs of a campaign for both the candidates and party unsustainable, Lavigne said. Lavigne didn't speculate about an appropriate leadership fee, but noted fee thresholds self-select tenable candidates that have grassroots support from across the country. "If you can't find 1,000 people to contribute $20, then how viable are you as a leadership candidate?' Lavigne said. The primary objective of running any leadership campaign is to find a leader that has broad support from party members and get the majority of Canadians to vote NDP at the polls so it can implement the party's policies, he said. 'Grassroots members that I've talked to want to see a successful electoral game plan,' he said. 'It's not enough to make the case for policy ideas in the hopes that other parties will adopt them and enact them in Parliament.' Grassroots 'tired of this top-down approach' Des Bissonnette and Ashley Zarbatany, co-chairs of the Indigenous People's Commission, criticized the proposed leadership race fee and short race, arguing the plan is the brainchild of an unelected party elite that wasn't vetted by the executive council and will potentially exclude grassroots supporters and ideas. 'There are a lot of grassroots and team members who are tired of this top-down approach by the consultant class in our party,' said Zarbatany, who added the proposed fee is 'abysmal' and didn't represent the values or pocketbooks of a working-class party. Ideas about the leadership race were floated in the press before discussing them with the federal executive, she added, reflecting the poor internal communication that also led to pushback by half the elected caucus around the selection of the interim leader, Don Davies. Bissonnette, the NDP candidate for Lakeland, Sask. in the last election, agreed. 'There's never really any consultation with [federal NDP] council members on what direction the party is going to take most of the time,' she said. 'You're rubber-stamping decisions that they've already made, rather than actively engaging in the democratic process.' The party has also shifted away from grassroots progressive values, she said, citing the decision to remove socialist language from the party's constitution and the failure to push hard for electoral reform while backing the Liberal government or in the election campaign. 'People like myself in the grassroots, the volunteers who are passionate about progressive politics want to see a real progressive party,' Bissonnette said. Bissonnette and Zarbatany said the climate crisis is a key issue with many grassroots members of the party who feel environmental policy proposals get ignored. Doubling down on centralist ideas that are too similar to the Liberal Party isn't going to lead to the renewal of the party, Zarbatany said. 'They are the reason why our party has suffered catastrophic electoral losses.' 'Kill Zoom' Rebuilding the party is about far more than the leadership race, and last time round, the party's leader-centric focus undermined the role of local riding associations, Angus said. 'People living in 12 ridings probably decided the leadership last time and that left a lot of parts of the country out in the cold,' he said. The party must find a way for members in New Brunswick or rural Saskatchewan to feel like a part of the movement. Angus' main recommendation to bring the party back to its grassroots origins? 'We need to kill Zoom,' he said. 'Everything by the NDP is done on Zoom. Zoom doesn't include anybody,' he told Canada's National Observer at Parliament Hill. 'We used to do pub nights. We used to do bean dinners,' he said. Angus said 'doing old-school organizing' with an emphasis on public meetings and getting people involved to vote at the party's convention are key, adding that TikTok views did not translate into votes. Mobilizing the grassroots is trickier when you're strapped for cash, Dennis Pilon, a political science professor at York University, told Canada's National Observer last month. 'On the right, they just buy people, they just hire people to go out and go door to door, but the NDP don't have the resources to do that,' Pilon said. With fewer people voting in general elections, the NDP is suffering more than other parties, Pilon said. In the postwar period, voter turnout was about 75 to 80 per cent, but in recent elections, it has slipped to between 60 and 65 per cent. 'The missing voters aren't just anyone. They tend to be poor. They tend to be less integrated with the political system. They tend to have less sense of social entitlement,' Pilon said. The NDP needs to reconnect with these missing voters, but it will be challenging because you have to actually go out and meet them, he said. The party lost touch with its traditional working-class base because it lacked an 'on-the-ground force,' Angus said. 'We need an honest appraisal of what went wrong,' he said. 'New Democrats aren't very honest when it comes to disasters. We sort of blame strategic voting, or we blame something. We made a lot of mistakes. I think people just want an honest accounting.' Angus would not speculate on who might run for the party leadership. 'At the end of the day, this has to be about winning,' Angus said. Rather than repeat the mistake of gambling everything on a likeable leader, Angus prefers to focus on how the party finds its people again. 'We don't need big ideas. We've got tons of big ideas … We don't need dramatic and bold moves. We need to re-engage and be the party that ordinary people feel has their back. It's pretty simple stuff, but maybe that's the hardest thing, is just going back to the grassroots, going back to coffee shops, going back to inviting people in and making them feel like they belong and that they're welcome, regardless of whether they say the right thing or not.'
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Indian agent had Jagmeet Singh under close surveillance
A suspected Indian government agent had Jagmeet Singh under close surveillance, prompting the RCMP to place the New Democratic Party leader in police protection 18 months ago, sources have told Global News. The agent, who is allegedly tied to activities directed by the Indian government, had access to intimate knowledge of Singh's daily routines, travel and family, according to the sources familiar with the matter. He was also described by the sources as associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which the Indian government has been accused of using to commit violence in Canada. Police notified Singh about a credible risk to his life in late 2023 and put tight security around him and his homes. Singh revealed during the 2025 federal election that he had been under police protection. But no details of the investigation have been publicly disclosed until now, and Singh has said the RCMP never told him who was behind the threat, although 'the implication was a foreign government.' Police responded to the threat at the time and Singh is no longer considered to be in imminent danger. Singh lost his seat in the 2025 federal election and has stepped down as NDP leader. The allegation that a suspected Indian agent was gathering information about the day-to-day movements of a federal party leader will likely raise new questions about foreign interference. View image in full screen NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh steps off campaign plane as member of his RCMP security detail stands by in Winnipeg, April 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck. Singh did not respond to requests for comment through an intermediary. Global News is not identifying the multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on condition they would not be named. Advertisement The Indian High Commission in Ottawa has not responded to questions about the allegations. The RCMP said it does not discuss 'protective measures, nor confirm individuals who may be designated to receive protection.' 'The security environment in which public figures operate is constantly evolving, and the RCMP takes all threats against public officials seriously,' spokesperson Marie-Eve Breton said on Wednesday. The reasons police became concerned about Singh's safety a year-and-a-half ago have emerged as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Canada on the weekend. With President Donald Trump in the White House, Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he wants to diversify Canada's trading relationships and has invited Modi to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta. But the decision has faced criticism because New Delhi is still not cooperating with RCMP investigations into India's suspected involvement in the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, among other violent crimes. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme held a news conference last October to announce that investigators had found evidence linking 'agents of the government of India to homicides and violent acts' across the country. Police said India was collecting information on potential victims in Canada and using the Lawrence Bishnoi crime group, and similar drug and extortion outfits, to target them. They also said 'well over a dozen credible and imminent threats to life' had led them to issue warnings to members of the South Asian community, specifically those active in the pro-Khalistan movement. Singh told reporters in April that police had advised him in the winter of 2023 that his life could be in danger. They did not tell him who was behind the threat but he said the implication was that it was a foreign government. He said he stayed in his basement, avoided windows and considered quitting politics over fears about his family's safety. He decided to carry on but was forced to lead the NDP for a period under police protection. 2:28 Evidence links violent crimes in Canada to Indian government A lawyer who became federal NDP leader in 2017, Singh has angered India by pressing the Canadian government to take a harder line against Modi's government over its problematic human rights record. Indian press reports have wrongly labelled Singh a supporter of anti-India 'terrorists' and reported that the intelligence agency that works for Modi's office had prepared dossiers on him. Under Modi, New Delhi has amped up its claims that Canada has not done enough to counter the Khalistan movement that seeks independence for India's Sikh-majority Punjab. It has also meddled in all levels of Canadian politics and now ranks as the 'second most active country engaging in electoral foreign interference in Canada,' according to the Hogue Commission. With the murder of Nijjar, however, India has allegedly taken its grievances against Canada to another level. A Sikh temple leader, Nijjar was leading a referendum campaign on Khalistan independence when he was gunned down. Then-prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons in September 2023 that investigators were probing the involvement of Indian government agents. Police believe India used gang members to carry out the killing. Sources have told Global News that Modi's right-hand man Amit Shah allegedly approved the operation. India has denied that. Canada later expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials for allegedly collecting information on Canadians of Indian descent that was fed back to intelligence officers in New Delhi and used to direct attacks. View image in full screen NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks at campaign rally in Winnipeg, April 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck. The alleged surveillance of Singh is not unprecedented. Before Nijjar was killed, he told a close friend that a tracking device had been found on his pickup truck when he was having it serviced. Advertisement 'He told me this personally,' said Moninder Singh, the spokesperson for the Sikh Federation who is also among those police have warned about threats to their lives. Nijjar was shot dead inside the same vehicle outside Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Temple. Moninder Singh said he did not know whether agents had followed him too. 'I've had multiple warnings but have never been told or known if I was under surveillance, but I would think I would be and do live my life as though I am,' he said. 'There's no other way.' As someone living under threat, he said Modi's visit to Canada had added 'insult to injury.' After Modi said he would attend the G7, Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal said his constituents had told him that inviting the Indian prime minster was sending the wrong message. Carney has said that Modi agreed to 'continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns' and that countering foreign interference was high on the summit agenda. 2:24 Carney lays out G7 priorities, faces criticism over Modi invite But a Canadian Sikh coalition wrote to MPs this week to voice their 'anger and sense of betrayal' over Carney's decision to extend an invitation to the leader of a government that has not yet been held to account for Nijjar's killing. 'His death was not an isolated act but part of a coordinated campaign of transnational repression that continues to violate Canadian sovereignty to this day,' the four Sikh organizations wrote. 'To extend an invitation to the architect of these policies who proudly boasts that India 'enters the homes of its enemies and kills them,' without any public commitment to justice or accountability, undermines the very principles Canada claims to uphold.' The letter was signed by the leaders of the World Sikh Organization of Canada, Sikh Federation of B.C., Ontario Gurdwara's Committee and Quebec Sikh Council. The groups are holding a news conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday.
Toronto Sun
8 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Former MP Angus says NDP became too focused on leader, TikTok likes
Published Jun 11, 2025 • 3 minute read NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay Charlie Angus rises during question period, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Ottawa. Photo by Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The NDP suffered an 'unmitigated disaster' in the last election because it lost touch with its grassroots and became too 'leader focused,' former MP Charlie Angus said Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The longtime NDP stalwart said he toured the country during the election and spoke with many rank-and-file members. He said the party now needs to do a lot of soul-searching to reconnect with that base, renew itself and rebuild. 'People feel that the party lost touch by becoming very much a leader-focused group as opposed to the New Democratic Party of Canada,' he said, when asked about the dismal April election results. 'We have to be a democratic party from the grassroots. We have to re-engage with people. We lost touch and we have to be honest about that.' The NDP saw the worst results in its history in the April 28 election. It won just seven seats, lost official party status and watched then-leader Jagmeet Singh lose his own seat in British Columbia. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Angus did not run in that election after representing the northern Ontario riding of Timmins-James Bay since 2004. That riding was recently redistricted and grew significantly in size, and was won by the Conservatives on April 28. Read More Angus said he has not met with Singh since the election. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said later Wednesday that while it was a tough election, he does not think the party lost touch with its supporters. Davies said he will wait to see what the party base has to say about why the NDP lost so badly. 'The key thing is to engage in a really authentic visioning process with our membership to really explore where we've come from, why we're in the position we're in, but more importantly, to chart a better path forward,' Davies said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I don't want to second-guess what our membership and our grassroots and our progressive allies have to say because there's different opinions on why we're in the position we're in.' NDP MP Leah Gazan said the party needs to study why the campaign ended in such a 'catastrophic result. 'We need an independent post-mortem on the election and I hope that the party takes this very seriously,' she told reporters outside the Parliament buildings on Wednesday. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Angus said the party should be less online and more on the ground. He said the NDP should ditch its virtual meetings — which became commonplace during the pandemic — and pointed out that the party was built from the ground up through simple in-person community events, such as bean dinners. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We became a party very focused on TikTok likes. I'm sure that helps, but TikTok didn't get us elected,' he said. 'We became focused on data. Data is very important. But to be a social democratic movement, you need to go back to reinvigorating the riding associations.' Angus, who said he has no plans to run for the party leadership, made the comments at a press conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, which he called to talk about the upcoming G7 summit Canada will host in Alberta later this month. Angus took shots at U.S. President Donald Trump and the person he called Trump's 'MAGA' Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra. He said the Trump administration is an 'authoritarian regime that's on the rise' and poses a threat to Canada. 'We're not talking about creeping fascism here. This is full-on police state tyranny from the gangster president Donald Trump. And this is the man who will soon be crossing our border to attend the G7 meetings in Canada,' he said. Trump recently deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles — a decision made without the governor's consent — in response to protests against immigration enforcement raids. Celebrity NHL Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists
