Affordable Urban Transit

Toronto is one of few major cities in the world whose transit system is not funded directly by federal levels of government. Now, we are paying $3 for a bus ride. The TTC doesn’t even have a stable operating budget. Andrew will fight for the federal support that’s needed so Toronto residents get the quality, affordable transit system this city deserves.

Clean Trains and Clean Air

It is already hard enough to breathe the air in Toronto in the summertime due to smog. That hasn’t stopped Stephen Harper from funding a plan that will see 400 dirty diesel trains a day run through the west end, including Davenport, with barely a murmur of protest from our MPs. All over the world governments are investing in clean electric trains. With stronger advocates for Toronto in Parliament, we can too.

Security for Urban Workers

More and more people in Toronto are contract workers, self-employed, or cobbling together a living with multiple part-time jobs. In a time when many Canadians are rightly worried about protecting their pensions, most urban workers haven’t even got a pension, let alone access to Employment Insurance, sick leave, parental or disability leave. There are solutions. For example, Quebec’s self-employed pay into an insurance plan that allows for maternity leave. We need MPs that will work for changes to the system that recognizes and supports the new new reality of urban employment and guarantees hardworking Torontonians the basic security they deserve.

Action on Affordable Housing

Groceries or Rent? Too many in our city face this outrageous decision. One in five Toronto seniors live in poverty, when dignity for seniors should be a national priority. Affordable housing is key to solving growing poverty in our city. All of us in Toronto have heard a lot of talk about housing, but it hasn’t been matched with action. Canada urgently needs a national affordable housing strategy, one that considers poverty a blight rather than an acceptable line on a budget ledger.

Vibrant Arts and Culture

The arts and culture sector is a key driver of Toronto’s economy and the lifeblood of our city. Funding and policy supports for this sector is one of governments’ most effective job creation tools. However, funding in this sector is under attack in a short-sighted bid by the federal government to cut spending. As a musician and a writer himself, Andrew will fight for strong arts and culture funding and policies that strengthen our national identity and celebrate our local stories.

Support for New Canadians

Toronto is the most diverse city in the world, but our immigration system is failing new Canadians. It’s hard for newcomers to access ESL and job training. Doctors and engineers arrive and can’t find a path to the jobs for which they are trained. The dream that people from all over the world can come here and build a prosperous life is slipping out of reach for many, as families slide into a multi-generation poverty trap. It’s time that MPs in Toronto stop taking the immigrant vote for granted and start delivering substantial services and support.