NDP leader Marit Stiles says she will fight for every job in every sector in the province as a trade war looms between Canada and the United States.
She told supporters at a rally at Bay of Quinte NDP candidate Amanda Robertston’s Belleville campaign office on Tuesday that an NDP government would tariff-proof the province’s economy.
She said Doug Ford and the Conservative government have left Ontario vulnerable to the threat of tariffs and can’t be trusted to stand up for the province.
Audio Player“He has shown us over and over again the kind of leader he is. He has made bad deals for the province of Ontario. You know, all of these deals are just to benefit a few people, a few insiders.”
She suggested that while Tuesday’s announcement that he was tearing up a $100-million contract with Elon Musk’s Space-X to deliver high-speed internet to remote areas in response to U.S. tariffs is a good idea, it’s a deal Ford should never have made in the first place.
Stiles said she would work with the federal government to form a strong, united national plan to fight back against American tariffs.
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles is greeted by supporters at Bay of Quinte NDP candidate Amanda Robertson’s Belleville campaign office, Feburary 3, 2025. (Photo: Alana Cameron/Quinte News)
The NDP would take back some infrastructure and transit responsibilities from municipalities, especially small, rural communities.
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“So we are a hundred per cent committed to re-uploading that and providing stability for those, and predictability in funding for those municipalities again. They can’t be out there on their own dealing with that.”
While she didn’t go into specifics, Stiles also said the NDP would reinvest in Ontario’s post secondary institutions as the Ford government funds colleges and universities at a rate far lower than any other province.
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles visited Bay of Quinte NDP candidate Amanda Robertson’s Belleville campaign office, Feburary 3, 2025. (Photo: Alana Cameron/Quinte News)
Stiles also had high praise for Bay of Quinte NDP candidate Amanda Robertson noting that she has not stopped working since a strong performance in last September’s by-election, won by Conservative Tyler Allsopp.
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“We know as New Democrats, and folks that care about these communities, that that’s the difference. Right? Is having someone who’s gonna be able to roll up their sleeves to represent and fight for their community.”
After her stop in Belleville, Stiles was headed to an evening campaign stop in Ottawa.
Listen to Stiles’ full speech below.
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