As the premiers' conference on health care gets underway, it's critical that the public interest is heard.
Libby Davies
Libby served five terms as a Vancouver City Councillor before being elected as Member of Parliament for Vancouver East in 1997. Re-elected for her fourth term in 2008, Libby is the Deputy Leader of the NDP, and has served as NDP House Leader since 2003. She is the federal NDP Spokesperson for Drug Policy Reform and Solicitation Laws. With over 30 years of community activism, Libby has received awards from organizations such as the Capital Xtra's Community Achievement Award for Political Activist of the Year, the YMCA Peace Medal Award, the Vancouver and District Labour Council's Syd Thompson Award, and most recently, the Justice Gerald LeDain Award for Achievement in the Field of Law, for her work on drug policy. Born in 1953 in England, Libby came to Canada in 1968. She moved to Vancouver in 1969 and has one son, Lief Eriksen. She lives with her partner, Kimberly Elliott.The missing and murdered women of Vancouver deserve an inquiry
When it comes to considering the missing and murder women from the Downtown Eastside, these are the concerns:
• Why did so many things go wrong?
• A lack of trust for police still keeps women from reporting violence.
• What can we learn about solicitation laws and why they don't work?
• Jurisdictional issues need to be addressed.
• A necessary evaluation of any public program is needed.
• What can we learn about marginalized women and men?
• What do policymakers need to understand and learn?
• It's not about pointing fingers.
• Why are sex workers treated differently under the law and their safety not taken seriously?
Marc Emery: An interview before U.S. prison
A contemplative Emery spoke earlier this year about his extradition and five-year prison sentence.
Related rabble.ca story:
Marc Emery: An interview before U.S. prison
Editor's note: The following exclusive interview, recorded by rabble.ca, took place between Libby Davies, MP for Vancouver East, and Marc and Jodie Emery in January 2010 in Vancouver, days before his extradition was expected to take place. Marc, 52, was extradited to the US on May 20th to serve a five-year prison sentence for shipping marijuana seeds to Americans. This far-ranging interview covers the reasons for Emery's extradition, the war on drugs, Canadian sovereignty, and Marc's previous experience in prison.
Q - This is my first visit to the new Woodward's development. It is amazing to look at the big photograph from the Gastown riots.
As premiers prepare to meet in Victoria, civil society comes together to protect public health care
Protection of our public health-care system always ranks as Canadians' number one concern. It reflects deep Canadian values of fairness and accessibility in the provision of basic services that we all need.
I hear all the time from people who are very worried about what the Conservative government is up to when it comes to health care.
This week, Victoria will host the premiers' conference on health care. But their meeting has already been undermined by the federal Finance Minister's unilateral declaration on future federal funding for health care, when the current Health Accord runs out in 2014.
The New Politics Initiative created space for real, open political debate
I wasn't sure what to think when I was approached to reflect on the 10th anniversary of the New Politics Initiative.
My immediate reaction was, I'm too busy, and would people be interested anyway? But then I thought, well, maybe there are some good experiences to share here that will help people as they grapple with the politics of today -- a decade later.
So here goes....
What's next for the NDP?
Pour la version française cliquez ici.
Jack Layton has had a profound impact on us all and on politics in Canada -- across the political spectrum. Anyone unwilling to acknowledge that could not have been paying attention to the response of Canadians across the country, from every walk of life.
Like many people, I've been thinking about what has taken place these past few weeks, and its significance, even in the midst of news cycles that march on, caught up in leadership issues, talk of mergers, and the like.
Missing and murdered women: Produce a report that cannot be ignored
Presentation by Libby Davies (Member of Parliament for Vancouver East) to Commissioner Wally Oppal and others gathered at the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry, Community Engagement Forum, held Jan. 19, 2011
Mr. Oppal, respected elders, family members and members of the community,
I thought hard about how to begin today, having been involved with this tragedy of the missing women since the 1980s, when I was a Vancouver City Councillor.
