On the rise, in the NDP federal caucus

More stars unnoticed by the media:

Matthew Kellway: “These guys have set the bar so low, they think five years off schedule and millions over budget is worthy of a parade,” said NDP Military Procurement critic Matthew Kellway (Beaches–East York).

Christine Moore:  “Because of Conservative incompetence, our soldiers have had to make do without the equipment they need,” said NDP deputy Defence critic Christine Moore (Abitibi–Témiscamingue). “This simply isn’t good enough. Canada’s military deserves better.”

Charmaine Borg: “In February, I urged the Conservative-dominated privacy committee to study mandatory government data breach reporting but unfortunately the study never materialized,” said NDP Digital Issues critic Charmaine Borg (Terrebonne–Blainville). “The Conservative government simply hasn’t taken these privacy issues seriously enough – while Canadians are being put at greater risk of identity theft and other online fraud.” NDP Digital Issues critic Charmaine Borg (Terrebonne–Blainville) is calling for an emergency debate on how Canadians’ personal information is being collected by law enforcement and national security agencies. “As parliamentarians, it is our responsibility to balance public safety and national security interests against the privacy rights of law-abiding Canadians,” said Borg. “New Democrats have consistently supported establishing clear oversight legislation for electronic surveillance.”

Don Davies: "This report makes an absolute mockery of the process and exemplifies the incompetence that Canadians have unfortunately come to expect from the Conservative government on trade,” said NDP International Trade critic Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway). “The report completely fails to assess the human rights impacts of Canadian investment, or the export of Canadian goods or services to Colombia.”

Hélène Laverdière: “Their pseudo-consultation on this report started just one week before it was due and highlights why the Liberal-Conservative inspired reporting mechanism for this trade agreement is so flawed,” said the NDP’s critic for the Americas, Hélène Laverdière (Laurier–Ste.-Marie). “Such reports must be produced by independent experts, as recommended by the Standing Committee on International Trade in 2008.”

Wayne Marston: “The Conservative report is an embarrassment and does not meet basic international human rights standards,” said NDP Human Rights critic Wayne Marston (Hamilton East–Stoney Creek). “Like last year, the report is devoid of any reporting on human rights and will only serve to further undermine Canada’s credibility at home and abroad.”

Sylvain Chicoine: “Canada’s veterans dedicated their lives to serving this country and the least we can do is support them when they return home,” said deputy Veterans Affairs critic Sylvain Chicoine (Châteauguay–Saint-Constant). “Cutting services to these men and women when they need it most is just wrong.”

Jean Crowder: “Today’s report highlights the Conservatives’ utter failure to act,” said New Democrat Aboriginal Affairs Critic Jean Crowder (Nanaimo--Cowichan). “Every child deserves an equal chance – but under this government, First Nation kids are left behind.”

Jonathan Genest-Jourdain: “We just marked the fifth anniversary of the official apology for residential schools—in which the government acknowledged the harm done to children and their families,” said NDP deputy critic for Aboriginal Affairs, Jonathan Genest-Jourdain (Manicouagan). “It is distressing to see that aboriginal youth are still not a priority for the Conservatives.”

Jinny Sims and Sadia Groguhé: New Democrat Citizenship and Immigration critic Jinny Sims (Newton-North Delta) and deputy critic Sadia Groguhé (Saint-Lambert) have issued the following statement: "Today, Canadians across the country are taking part in rallies to condemn the Conservative cuts to health care services for some of the most vulnerable members of our society. On behalf of New Democrats everywhere, we join these Canadians and call for a reversal of Conservative cuts to the Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program for refugees."

Raymond Côté: Official Opposition leader Tom Mulcair has launched a petition to force the federal Minister of Transport Denis Lebel to stop the toxic dust that is engulfing numerous neighbourhoods of the greater Quebec City Area. The minister must ensure that the Port of Quebec respects the established operating standards. New Democrat MP Raymond Côté (Beauport-Limoilou) encouraged citizens to rally together by signing the petition. “From the beginning, public involvement has been impressive. This shows just how much citizens are concerned with this issue.”

John Rafferty: “Given recent events in Thunder Bay and other municipalities across Canada, it is clear that transit operators and bus drivers need greater protection both on the job and in the courts,” said Rafferty. “Harassment or assault against bus drivers is completely unacceptable. Bus drivers are dedicated to getting Canadians where they need to go safely,” said Rafferty. “New Democrats are committed to making sure that their workplace is as secure as possible.”

Murray Rankin: “Instead of focusing on exposing tax havens and catching tax cheats, the Conservatives have slashed the Canada Revenue Agency's investigative resources and staff,” said NDP National Revenue critic Murray Rankin. “Now they’re also fighting G8 efforts to combat tax evasion. Instead of being a leader, they’re becoming an international obstacle to tackling tax havens. Canadians deserve better.”

Pierre Nantel: "The government is once again attempting to whitewash Canadian history and remake our historical institutions in its image," said NDP Heritage critic, Pierre Nantel (Longueuil--Pierre-Boucher). In addition to the name change, Bill C-49 strips a major component from the Museum's mandate which requires it to maintain and develop collections for 'research and posterity.' While the government has tried to downplay the proposed changes to the Museum's mandate, many experts disagree. "Under this bill, Canada's most popular museum will no longer be a hub of research that ensures the inclusion of differing views of history, be they English, French, First Nations or multicultural," said Nantel.

Andrew Cash: "The Conservatives failed to consult before introducing this bill. They've begun making changes even though the bill has not passed Parliament. The fact is they’ve slashed budgets for heritage and cultural institutions, they interfere in museums that should be arms-length, and they muzzle independent voices of historians, archivists and librarians," said NDP Deputy Heritage critic, Andrew Cash (Davenport).

Alexandre Boulerice: "C-525 is another attack on Canadian workers and their unions in an effort to drive down wages for the middle-class,” said NDP Labour critic Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont--La Petite-Patrie). “Just like they did with C-377, Conservatives are again using backbenchers to introduce reckless anti-union legislation that comes straight from the Republican playbook in the United States. Instead of trying to rig union elections and drive down the wages of Canadians, the Conservatives should be focusing their energy on preventing attempts to rig federal elections and making senators accountable for the public”, concluded Boulerice.

François Lapointe: "Workers from across Canada have been contacting us to share their concerns, and we expect this to continue as long as the Conservatives press forward with these punitive and unjust EI reforms,” said François Lapointe (Montmagny–L’Islet–Kamouraska–Rivière-du-Loup), HUMA committee member and NDP critic for Small Business and Tourism. “Within the context of the committee, we can hear from witnesses who support the Conservatives’ EI reforms as well as witnesses who are opposed, in order to explore the actual effects on workers and communities. Why is it so difficult to do this simple thing? What are the Conservatives afraid of?” said Lapointe.

Mathieu Ravignat: "Canadians have paid enough for this anti-democratic institution and it’s high time we stopped wasting millions of taxpayers’ money on it,” said NDP Treasury Board Critic, Mathieu Ravignat (Pontiac). “Let the Conservative and Liberal parties pay the salaries of their partisan employees. Senators have abused taxpayers’ money,” said Ravignat. “As New Democrats, we believe that they require neither salaries nor assistants. They can remain senators, but only if they sit as volunteers.”

Alexandrine Latendresse: “In the eyes of New Democrats, it is essential that Francophones and Anglophones everywhere in Canada can be served in their mother tongue by the senior officials in our greatest democratic institutions,” said the NDP’s deputy critic for Democratic Reform, Alexandrine Latendresse (Louis-Saint-Laurent). “That is why we introduced this bill: to make sure official languages are respected in Ottawa. With C-419, all federal parties have shown that they can work together for the good of all Canadians. We can be proud," concluded Latendresse.”

Anne Minh-Thu Quach: “While the Conservatives are gutting environmental protections, the NDP is taking steps to protect our waterways for all Canadians to enjoy,” said deputy Environment critic Anne Minh-Thu Quach (Beauharnois – Salaberry).

And that's just in June.

New MP Murray Rankin is still in the fourth row, as are Alexandrine Latendresse, Pierre Nantel, Anne Minh-Thu Quach, Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, François Lapointe, and Raymond Côté, while Charmaine Borg and Sylvain Chicoine are in the back row.

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