One of the calls in this federal election is to increase the taxes of the super wealthy. The letter sent to candidates across the country argues:

As our nation takes stock of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no returning to the way things were. Too many have gotten sick and died. At the pandemic’s peak, 5.5 million lost jobs, or had their hours cut, putting their homes, livelihoods and futures at stake. What is clear is the pandemic has been made much worse by the entrenched crises preceding it. Deep inequality has meant the virus hurt those who were already struggling economically most, while those at the top continued to grow their wealth. Longstanding gender disparities have left women to face both high unemployment and increased responsibility to provide care for other family members. The continuing harms of systemic racism are reflected in the disproportionate share of the disease among Black, Brown and Indigenous people. It will take years to recover from the pandemic, and we will have to do so under the threat of cataclysmic climate change.

It’s time to strike a very different path than the one we were on when the pandemic began. We need a recovery that takes bold steps to address these crises, and invests in building a better future for everyone.

It’s time for those who have amassed incredible wealth to contribute to our collective future. And the fair and democratic way to do so is through taxes.

I am asking you to take action and commit to the following tax reforms:

1. Create a wealth tax so that the fiscal burden of the crisis is fairly shared. The top one percent of Canadians hold a quarter of the wealth. Their share of the wealth has grown over the last decade while everyone else’s has shrunk or stayed the same.

2. Institute an excess profit tax targeted at companies and individuals profiteering off of the COVID-19 pandemic. The wealth of Canada’s top 47 billionaires grew by more than $78 billion, a windfall largely fueled by large companies profiting off of a health crisis.

3. Close tax loopholes that drain money out of the public purse. There are too many loopholes and tax avoidance schemes that allow individuals and corporations to collect and hoard wealth, which harms our economy and deepens inequality.

With these critical changes to the tax system, we can start to make long-term investments in better healthcare, including universal pharmacare; taking profit out of long-term care; better access to education for everyone; a speedy transition to a just and clean economy with decent jobs and workers’ rights for all; an end to systemic racism and colonialism; and making sure everyone has a safe place to live. It’s time to build a future for the many, not just the few.

I am calling on my local federal candidate to do the right thing.