NDP leader Jagmeet Singh makes a stop in Sudbury

The federal leader of the New Democrat Party was in Sudbury on Saturday.

Jagmeet Singh stopped by the Farmers’ Market at Science North to meet with the public. Singh was joined by local MPPs Jamie West and France Gélinas, as well as Carol Hughes, MP for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing.

Earlier in the morning, Singh met with labour leaders, including members of the Canada Revenue Agency, who were recently on strike.

“They shared the same concerns that with wages not keeping up with inflation – it’s really hard on their families,” Singh said.

He said the purpose of his visit is to discuss the cost of living with the members of the public.

“People are really frustrated with how everything seems more expensive and we want to hear how that’s impacting people in Sudbury in the north,” Singh said.

Hughes said she’s had ongoing discussions with Singh about concerns in her area.

“Access to internet, reliable and affordable cell service,” she said.

“Transportation is a huge issue and of course, health care. Although most of it is provincial, the fact of the matter is that it impacts everyone here in the north.”

She mentioned the NDP-proposed dental care plan, which would offer free coverage for individuals under age 18, people with disabilities and seniors by the end of this year.

“We’ve been inundated with calls from seniors saying, ‘when will this take effect because we really need our teeth fixed.’”

Recently, Singh backed the Conservatives’ call for a public inquiry into foreign interference regarding elections.

“It’s something that’s not a partisan thing where we want to score points on this. We actually want to make sure democracy is safe,” he said.

“Whether it’s nomination meetings or an MP being targeted by a foreign diplomat, we think this requires an independent public process to get to the bottom of what’s happening and how we can prevent it,” he adds.

Singh said a focus of the New Democrat Party is to address the high cost of groceries.

“We need better competition laws, better protection for consumers,” he said.