Daniel Blaikie

03/01/2024

02/28/2024

OTTAWA – On Wednesday, NDP MP for Elmwood-Transcona, Daniel Blaikie, announced that he will be stepping down effective March 31, 2024 after almost a decade in federal politics. Blaikie will begin working as Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew’s Senior Advisor on Intergovernmental Affairs in April 2024.

“I am grateful to my constituents, my wife and my family for supporting me in serving my community as their MP,” said Blaikie. “As someone who became a father and an MP around the same time, one of the things I learned during the pandemic was how much it means to me to spend more time at home with my family while our kids are young.

“Like federal New Democrats are doing across the country, Premier Kinew is putting Manitoba on track for a more just and prosperous future. It’s been an honour to be a part of the federal NDP caucus and, now, I have the privilege of joining Premier Kinew’s team in Manitoba. Jagmeet has a fantastic team of strong, competent and hardworking MPs who care about social, economic and environmental justice. I learned a lot sitting around that caucus table and have full confidence in them to keep using their power to put people first.”

As a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Blaikie stood up for workers, strong collective bargaining rights and fair, secure pensions. He also fought for a major expansion of affordable, non-market housing in Canada, with public investment at the scale required to address the housing crisis. He contributed to establishing Canada’s new dental care plan and pushed for progress toward a national pharmacare plan.

As NDP Finance Critic, Daniel advocated for a fair tax system that requires the wealthiest individuals and corporations to contribute more to Canada’s development instead of sacrificing our future in the name of higher shareholder returns. During his time in office, Blaikie advocated for investments in workers and our planet while insisting on fiscal transparency and accountability. He championed E.I. reforms so that the program can better serve Canadians, and a fairer electoral system that would ensure everyone’s voice and vote matters.

“I appreciate what Daniel has brought to our NDP team,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “Times are tough for families and Premier Kinew’s government is working hard in Manitoba to get things done for people. I wish Daniel well as he continues to champion NDP values and policies like fairness for workers and real accountability to ensure wealthy corporations and CEOs are paying what they owe. I know his family will be very happy to have him closer to home as he continues to take on this important work in his new role.

“On behalf of New Democrats from coast-to-coast-to coast, thank you for your tireless dedication and for fighting every day to make Ottawa work for Canadian families.”

OTTAWA – On Wednesday, NDP MP for Elmwood-Transcona, Daniel Blaikie, announced that he will be stepping down effective March 31, 2024 after almost a decade in federal politics. Blaikie will begin working as Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew’s Senior Advisor on Intergovernmental Affairs in April 2024.

02/27/2024

02/22/2024

Today I got a chance to tour StandardAero’s Plant 6, one of the company’s seven Winnipeg facilities. I learned about the challenges facing our local aviation industry, including the training of a skilled workforce. Thanks to the folks who toured me around!

02/21/2024

In less than a year, Loblaws has tried to drop the 50% discount on expired foods, cut sweet deals with Manulife to gatekeep access to prescription drugs, and gouged Canadians countless times at the till. The Liberals won’t give them more than a slap on the wrist. Meanwhile the Conservatives rant about grocery prices while Poilievre’s own advisor, Jenni Byrne, heads a lobbying firm for Loblaws.

The Liberal-Conservative corporate coalition isn’t willing to take on the big players making life more expensive for Canadians. New Democrats are here to hold the government accountable and push for real solutions.

02/16/2024

I was pleased to see more positive coverage on CBC News: The National on our demand for the government to stop discriminating against new moms in the EI system. Thank you to representatives from the Canadian Labour Congress, CUPE, Unifor, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation and Mouvement Action-Chômage, who traveled to Ottawa to join the NDP in making this call. The EI system is meant to support families who fall on hard times, and parents shouldn’t be kicked off of income supports just because they’ve taken a mat leave to spend time with a new baby.

Thank you to Katie Bowes for telling your story. The Liberals shouldn’t need a court order to do the right thing.

02/15/2024

New moms have enough to deal with. They shouldn't have to worry about losing their EI benefits because they took a mat leave. Losing a job while becoming a parent is hard enough as it is.

Unfortunately Canada's EI system doesn't give parents that peace of mind. It's a simple, cheap fix but the Liberals keep dragging their feet.

I was pleased to join labour leaders from around the country who came to Ottawa today, to demand that Minister Boissonnault fix the EI system and stop discriminating against new moms.

If the Liberals have the will, we have the way.

02/07/2024

Our voting system could do a much better job of electing parliaments that truly reflect the diversity of people and opinions in Canada.

Thank you to NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron, for your leadership on pushing for citizen-led change. Today I was proud to vote for Lisa Marie’s motion M-86, on a National Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform. I was disappointed when Trudeau and Poilievre stood shoulder to shoulder to ensure its defeat.

02/05/2024

Full episode at perspectivesjournal.ca/competition-and-coops-c56/

02/02/2024

The latest CMHC rental report confirms what we already know: rents are going up all across the country.

Liberals and Conservatives got us into this mess with three decades of bad housing policy. The Liberals new National Housing ‘Strategy’ has been a litany of delay and disappointment and Pierre Poilievre is only offering more of the developer-friendly style mess we saw Conservatives try in Ontario.

Only New Democrats are proposing the kinds of solutions that will get Canadians off the street and into homes.

02/01/2024

People across the country are feeling the pinch in a difficult economy.

It’s true for people in northeast Winnipeg and last week as part of our National Caucus meetings, New Democrats heard from Edmontonians about how the affordability crisis is affecting people in that part of the country.

As we head back into session, New Democrats are fighting to lower the cost of things people can’t do without: housing, childcare, dental care and prescription drugs. We are also fighting to ensure public investment creates well paying union jobs to support Canadian households.

01/25/2024

Steve Pomeroy has stated that for every unit of non-market housing that we build in Canada today, we are losing 15. Addressing the housing crisis requires sustained investment in social and non-market housing to reverse this trend, and to build back the supply deficit that has accrued since the 1990s.

Yet the Liberal government continually refuses to respond with the urgency that’s needed. In the latest Fall Economic Statement, instead of stepping up to provide the funds that are needed today, they have kicked the can further down the road. Even the housing funds they committed to existing programs will not roll out until 2025.

When I asked the Parliamentary Secretary whether the government would release the funds this year, he wouldn’t give me a clear answer.