OTTAWA, ON – New Democrats have ramped up pressure in House of Commons for the government to call an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, says Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP, Carol Hughes. New Democrats took control of the House agenda on Friday forcing a debate and a vote on the [Read more]
Parliament held an emergency debate on Canada’s response to the situation in Iraq this week. The fact that it was an emergency debate and not a government-led one spoke volumes about the Prime Minister’s go-it-alone approach on this issue. That was hammered home when Thomas Mulcair was the [Read more]
Just about everyone stands in firm opposition to crime. It is a position with roots in a sense of fair play and the golden rule as well. In politics the accusation of being soft on crime is a big time attack. For some people there is no room for any position beyond that of a [Read more]
When the body of Tina Fontaine was pulled from the Winnipeg River late last month it re-ignited a fierce debate about Canada’s response to the inordinate number of missing and murdered aboriginal women over the last 3 decades. This is an issue that shows how far off-track Stephen Harper can be [Read more]
Labour Day marks more than the winding down of summer or the last long weekend before the kids head back to school. It is also a focal point for the important and difficult battles that were waged for labour rights that help define who we are as a country. While we have much to celebrate [Read more]
NDP PROPOSE TOUGH MEASURES TO PROTECT GREAT LAKES FROM INVASIVE CARP ELLIOT LAKE, ON – The potential devastation of biodiversity in the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp requires a multi-prong approach that includes strong regulatory measures according to New Democrat MPs who plan to [Read more]
For years New Democrats have called for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to be used to catch tax cheats who use offshore accounts to avoid their responsibility to Canada. Money spent in this way always results in a larger amount coming back to our national coffers. While catching tax cheats [Read more]
People who had been denied federal disability benefits were thrown a curve ball as new rules have stripped them of their right to have an appeal in person. Where in the past individuals were able to meet face to face with an adjudicator, they will no longer be legally entitled to this method of [Read more]
Gas prices are just ridiculous It is fitting that gas prices jumped considerably at the same time as the Harper government gave a conditional green light to the Northern Gateway pipeline project. Those two events highlight just how far off course our oil and gas policies have strayed from consumer [Read more]
Somewhere along the line Canada has slipped into the plot of a George Orwell novel and it is becoming more difficult to fight back. People will be less inclined to attend peaceful protests if they are guaranteed to be placed on a list of suspects by the government. The new legislation aimed at [Read more]
Parliament saw welcome moments of agreement this week which amounts to good news for Canadians as we passed a New Democrat motion on a pan-Canadian palliative and end-of-life care strategy and got down to work on a government bill for drug safety. The motion should jump-start the government [Read more]
A lot of attention is paid to the salaries and bonuses of Canada’s wealthiest CEOs since they differ so dramatically from the take-home pay for most everyone else that it is always shocking. A recent study from Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) explains that the problem of [Read more]
As Decoration Day approaches and as we gear up to mark the 70th anniversary of D Day it is appropriate to consider the way we are treating our veterans. All indicators point to strained relations between veterans and the government who have pinched considerable pennies from the [Read more]
‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’ may not be a historically accurate phrase, but it describes being occupied with unimportant matters while faced with a more urgent crisis. That is pretty much what is happening with Stephen Harper who leads a government that has clearly demonstrated their [Read more]
As the Finance Minister worked his way through the budget speech last Thursday it became obvious that the advance press was true and we were receiving a do nothing budget. I had to wonder if we are living in the same country since the Canada I experience in my role as MP is defined by [Read more]
