O'Toole promises help on disabilities, Singh on rent, Trudeau doesn't campaign on Saturday

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Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole offered hope and the promise of increased funding for Canadians living with disabilities on Saturday. At a campaign stop in Edmonton O’Toole said he wants to make access to programs and job opportunities easier for those with disabilities.

“They’ve been amongst the groups hardest hit by the pandemic. Hit hard by isolation, by job losses and the lack of access to the supports they need,” O’Toole said.

The Conservatives are promising to overhaul what they call a “complex array” of disability programs and make life easier for Canadians living with disabilities. Their plan includes making it easier to qualify for the disability tax credit and doubling the disability supplement in the Canada Workers Benefit to $1,500.

O’Toole accused the Liberal government of running programs that punished people with disabilities when they chose to go to work, something he promised his plan would not do.

While O’Toole was in Edmonton, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Toronto campaigning once again on the issue of affordable housing, this time taking on high rents. While the NDP has hammered the Liberals on the average cost of a home going up $300,000 since Trudeau took office, they said rents have also gone up to unaffordable levels.

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“People are spending nearly $4,000 more a year, than they were in 2015,” Singh said.

To combat high rents, the NDP is promising a supplement of up to $5,000 for people struggling with rent and promising to crack down on so-called renovictions.

Both the NDP and Conservatives have been pushing the issues of affordability and the cost of living during this first week of the election. Statistics Canada reported on Wednesday that inflation for July 2021 saw the cost of living increased 3.7% compared to July last year.

Singh accused Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau of being missing in action on the campaign trail Saturday just like he is on so many issues.

Trudeau was not campaigning on Saturday but is expected to return to the hustings on Sunday.