People often joke about politicians kissing babies while on the campaign trail.
Well, Jagmeet Singh kicked off a looming campaign by announcing that his wife Gurkiran Kaur is pregnant with their first baby.
“We are having a baby!!!!” tweeted the Burnaby South MP and federal NDP leader. “@gurkirankaur and I are so excited for this new adventure!”
The news comes as speculation continues that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will call an election on Sunday with a date of Sept. 20.
Singh unfurled a blueprint for the NDP campaign platform Thursday, doubling down on affordability and economic populism as federal opposition leaders criss-cross the country ahead of an election race expected to kick off in the coming days.
“Tax the ultrarich to invest in people. That’s our plan. And really no other party is willing to say those words," Singh told reporters in St. John's, N.L.
Universal pharmacare and dental care, a $20 minimum wage and student debt cancellation comprise part of the proto-platform, which Singh labels his "commitments for a New Deal for people" in a not-so-subtle nod to the state-led progressivism of former U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt.
we are having a BABY!!!! @theJagmeetSingh and I are so excited for this next chapter of our lives 💓 pic.twitter.com/69t4wBVFyp
— Gurkiran Kaur (@gurkirankaur_) August 12, 2021
The 115-page document pledges a one per cent tax on households with fortunes topping $10 million and a temporary 15 per cent tax on large companies that enjoyed windfall profits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An income tax hike of two points to 35 per cent for the highest bracket — currently $216,511 and above — and a three-point hike to put the corporate tax rate at 18 per cent are also planned.
Singh said the resulting revenue could fund the pricey promises, and that the party will work with the parliamentary budget officer to cost out portions of a more detailed platform. Thursday's action plan includes no accounting.
"In all cases, we will manage debt and deficits responsibly, borrowing when required to rebuild and defend the services that Canadians and their families rely on, and moving to balance when it is prudent to do so," it states.
The document marks an updated version of New Democrats' platform in the 2019 campaign, when they lost 15 seats to leave them in fourth place in the House of Commons. But Singh expressed faith Canadians would find the smorgasbord of policies appetizing.
“Sometimes you look at items on that menu and you say, 'You know what, maybe I should have bought that thing last time.' And that's what we're hoping people realize."
- With files from the Canadian Press
