200 hear Mulcair slam ‘arrogant’ Conservative government

NEWS — Close to 200 people were in St. Andrew’s on the Square tonight (Tuesday) to hear federal opposition leader Thomas Mulcair tear a strip off the Conservative government.

Describing the crowd as “enthusiastic,” former provincial Kamloops NDP candidate Tom Friedman told The Armchair Mayor News that Mulcair called the Tories  “completely incompetent,” “lousy fiscal managers” and “arrogant.”

He said Mulcair berated Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government for changes to the Elections Act. Mulcair said the NDP is firm in its opposition to the proposed Quebec Charter of Values and is intent on “getting rid of the Senate and restoring the integrity of Parliament.”

A Kamloops This Week report described Mulcair’s 10-minute speech to the “standing-room only” crowd as “energetic” and his visit to Kamloops as “campaign mode.”

Mulcair, who took questions for 50 minutes after his speech, said the NDP would have required a joint panel review of the proposed Ajax mine.

Coun. Arjun Singh attended the event, tweeting that it was part of “my multi partisan listening tour of partisan political leaders.”

Mulcair said people are being gouged by high credit card interest rates and “exorbitant” ATM fees, said Friedman. The NDP has proposed a cap of $.50 per transaction.  

Friedman said Mulcair saved his harshest criticism of Harper for the government’s handling of environmental issues, including changes to the Fisheries and Navigable Waters Protection Acts.

If the NDP wins the 2015 federal election Mulcair would attend a planned conference of signatories to the Kyoto Accord.

On the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, Mulcair said it is a “con job” and added “we’re going to fight it tooth and nail,” Friedman quoted him as saying. Mulcair has predicted that the pipeline will never be built.