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Hamilton, Ont. –
As more than 1,000 New Democratic Party grassroots members gather in Hamilton this weekend, policies connected to the current Israeli-Hamas war are not expected to be debated.
As the party faithful began preparing for this convention, 350 policy proposals were submitted, ranging from bolstering the public health-care system, to fixing the housing crisis, and even the Ukraine war.
Those initiatives were then cut down to 60 “prioritized resolutions” by Oct. 4, three days before the Hamas attack on Israeli Defence Forces and civilians.
A “solidarity with Palestine” proposal from the NDP “socialist caucus” was left off the list.
It would have asked “the federal NDP strengthen its defense of Palestinian human rights by actively campaigning for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against the Israeli state.”
B’nai Brith Canada and other Jewish advocacy organizations call the BDS movement anti-Semitic.
NDP Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama recently apologized for a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday where she called for a ceasefire and an end to what she called an apartheid of the Palestinian People.
Jama did not address the unprecedented surprise Hamas attack on Israel, that killed more than 1,000 people, according to the Israeli army. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by Canada and has ruled Gaza since 2007.
“I understand the pain that many Jewish and Israeli Canadians, including my own constituents, must be feeling. I apologize,” Jama said in a reply to the post that first triggered the backlash.
“To be clear, I unequivocally condemn terrorism by Hamas on thousands of Israeli civilians. I also believe that Israel’s bombardment and siege on civilians in Gaza, as was also noted by the United Nations, is wrong,” she said.
It’s still possible that NDP members could decide to bring the Israeli-Palestinian issue forward as an emergency debate.
WHAT POLICIES WILL BE DEBATED?
Beyond this issue, some electoral district associations want the party to focus on pushing the Liberal government to create a universal pharmacare program.
A key part of the NDP’s supply-and-confidence agreement propping up the Liberal minority government requires, “passing a Canada pharmacare act by the end of 2023.”
James Brunet, president of the Ottawa South provincial NDP, wants members to push the federal party to fight for a national drug plan, “even if that means risking an election.”
NDP members from the Ottawa-Centre, Edmonton-Strathcona and Oakville-North Burlington ridings want to create a Crown Corporation to manufacture vaccines, pharmaceuticals and medical devices in Canada.
“Publicly-funded medical research in Canada has been exploited by private companies in patented medical products without cost recovery,” the convention proposal reads, calling the current system a “theft of public funds.”
On housing, the NDP says the situation has reached “crisis proportions.”
Party members have put three housing resolutions up for debate at the convention, out of 10 total affordability policy proposals.
The first is a plan to create 3.5 million new affordable homes over the next 10 years, with the help and collaboration of provincial and municipal governments across the country.
Also on the agenda is a plan to tackle evicitons by “predatory landlords” looking to demolish or renovate their properties.
There are calls to change the federal tax code to “end the preferential tax treatment” of real estate investment trusts. The policy proposal says the seven largest of these real estate giants “have saved $1.5 billion through tax loop holes.”
The NDP members are pushing for these taxes to be invested in social and co-operative housing.
The party will also discuss a plan that would see some federally owned land used to develop non-speculative and not-for-profit housing.
Delegates will vote on these motions Sunday.
The votes are non-binding, therefore NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his caucus, will have final say on what policy proposals could be part of the next NDP platform.
Members will also vote on whether Singh will remain on as leader.
The leadership review is required at every policy convention, according to the NDP constitution.
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