NDP unveils northern Ontario platform

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Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh laid out his party’s plan for northern Ontario on Sunday, pledging to address health care shortages, high grocery prices and what he referred to as crumbling infrastructure and gaps in French-language services.

Speaking in Timmins, Ont., Singh criticized the federal government for neglecting the region, where he said families face mounting challenges accessing basic necessities.

“For too many people in the north, life is getting harder,” Singh said, in the party’s news release.

“It’s harder to find a doctor, harder to afford groceries and harder to access basic services. And now, with Trump threatening Canadian jobs, people need leaders who will stand up for them – and make sure Ottawa never forgets the north.”

Addressing the health care crisis

The NDP’s plan aims to tackle the acute shortage of family doctors and strained emergency rooms in northern Ontario by:

• Training and retaining more local physicians through grants and fair wages;
• expanding regional medical schools;
• streamlining credentials for internationally trained doctors;
• increasing Indigenous representation in health care; and
• fully implementing Jordan’s Principle for First Nations children.

The plan, Singh said, builds on recent federal funding of $1.2 billion for the Weeneebayko General Hospital redevelopment, which Singh credited to the NDP’s advocacy.

Making groceries affordable

Singh pledged to help northern families facing higher food prices by overhauling the Nutrition North program and redirecting subsidies to consumers instead of corporations.

“No one should be paying $12 for a jug of milk,” he said.

“We’re going to fix the program, cut out the corporate middlemen and make sure families in the north can afford the basics.”

Upgrading infrastructure

The NDP’s infrastructure plan includes twinning key highways like the Trans-Canada, repairing dangerous roads and improving winter and all-season routes using Canadian material and labour.

“People shouldn’t feel cut off from their own country,” Singh said.

“Safe travel and reliable infrastructure should be a basic, not a bonus.”

The NDP also stated they would ‘raise the bar’ on trucker safety and training, with national standards.

Franco-Ontarian Services

Singh also promised to protect French-language services in federal services, health care and education, emphasizing support for institutions like Université de Hearst and Collège Boréal.

“French-speaking northerners deserve the same access to services as anyone else,” he said.

Wanting to work for the north

In his speech, the NDP leader is attempting to position his party as advocates for overlooked regions – including northern Ontario – ahead of the federal election on April 28.

Closing his speech, Singh framed the plan as a contrast to Conservative cuts and Liberal inaction.

“We believe Canada works best when no one gets left behind,” he said.

“That’s why sending more New Democrats to Ottawa matters – because we’ll fight to protect what makes Canada, Canada: public health care, strong communities and a promise that no matter where you live, you’re never on your own.”