Nate speaks. By-election blitz. UN poll.  September 8th 2024

Supply and Confidence, Temporary Foreign Workers

This video posted Saturday by Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith is worth watching. Erskine-Smith will not seek re-election in his Toronto riding but even before he made that decision he had been among the more independent-minded members of the Liberal caucus. And this video is in line with that independent streak.

Here, he looks back at the NDP decision to scrap the supply and confidence agreement: "I didn't see any substantive criticism to warrant ripping up the supply deal. I also didn't see Singh use his announcement to advance anything new. If I'd been in his position I'd have put a few big ieas on the table for this fall," Erskine Smith says. "Hopefully we see a continued but different kind of co-operation this fall."

As he and his caucus colleagues head to Nanaimo, BC for next week's caucus retreat, he lists some priorities he thinks the government must get to this fall -- immigration and overhaul of the temporary foreign worker program are top priorities. He calls for "a more ambitious and comprehensive public health approach" to deal with homelessness and the opioid crisis.

And he says Liberals should use the opportunity of of having to find a replacement for Liberal national campaign director Jeremy Broadhurst to "to educate Canadians about what Pierre Poilievre is all about" and says ""I expect that to happen with some real ad spending."

Finally, he talks about his leader. "If Trudeau's gonna be our guy in the next race, he needs to tell Canadians why he's in it, what does he want to accomplish and how does he hope to improve people's lives with another -- and likely final -- term." -DA

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