In the lead up to the 2021 Canadian federal election, CJRU reached out to each candidate running in the Toronto Centre riding.

Toronto Centre New Democratic Party(NDP) candidate Brian Chang will be running for the third time this election.

He said his platform is focused on affordable housing, accessible Pharmacare, LGBTQ2+ justice, worker's rights, post-secondary education and climate action.

"What's very important to me is the discussions around affordable housing," he said. "Every party talks about it, but the approaches are very different. New Democrats have a priority on housing, not on private ownership."

For schooling, Chang said his party wants to make post-secondary education "part of the public education system."

"The cost of tuition and tuition fees are really a neo-liberal market tool to help create profits in the system, and that shouldn't be the case," Chang said. "We must be making sure that education is a right, [and] people who are qualified and able to do so can access that education."

On climate action, Chang advocates for "putting justice at the core" as a way to tactical climate change. He mentions NDP leader's Jagmeet Singh's longstanding approaches, including fare-free public transit and gradually eliminating fossil fuel personal vehicles.

While Toronto Centre has been a Liberal party stronghold since 1993, Chang believes its voters would like to see change.

"People were upset an election was called and I don't think the Liberals have been very clear on why they forced this on us," he said.

Chang previously finished third in the 2020 by-election that followed the resignation of former finance minster Bill Morneau, and finished second during the 2019 federal election.

Chang is also a research associate at Service Employees International Union (SEIU) healthcare, a healthcare union in Canada.

Listen to Brian Chang's full interview here: