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Libby's Speeches in Parliament

Libby on Bill C-475 an Act to Amend the Controlled Drug and Substances Act
March 9, 2010

MARCH 9, 2010
HANSARD
House of Commons

Debate on Bill C-475 an Act to Amend the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (Methamphetamines and Ecstasy)

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to Bill C-475. I would like to thank the hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for introducing the bill. It is very similar to a bill that was introduced awhile ago. I spoke to that bill and it went to committee. The fact that it is back before the House is evidence of the hon. member's serious intent to bring forward this issue. We certainly appreciate that.

I want to make a few general points about the bill as it relates to the larger issue of drug policy and what we have seen from the government. While on the one hand the bill deals very specifically with substances that are involved in the selling, production or import of amphetamines and ecstasy, as it relates to the larger issue, we have to be aware that reliance on an enforcement strategy and an approach that is focused on the Criminal Code is not going to solve the very major issues we are facing with drug addiction and substance use in our society.

Government tries to shut down debate on the HST
December 7, 2009

HANSARD
House of Commons
Debates

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, I know that we have only very limited time for this debate, which is very unfortunate. I have to say that on days like this, one feels a sense of shame about what is taking place. The motion that we had in this House a few minutes ago, which is now placing a limit and a closure on debate on the HST, is truly shameful.

As a British Columbian and as someone who has heard not only from so many of my constituents but also from people all across B.C. and indeed other parts of Canada, I feel incredibly disappointed that there are Liberal and Conservative members of this House who are going along with this proposal to ram through this legislation before Christmas when there is absolutely no reason to do so.

A Lasting Peace in the Middle East
November 26, 2009

House of Commons Debates
________________________________________
A Lasting Peace in the Middle East

November 26, 2009
HANSARD

(Libby Davies, MP Vancouver East): Mr. Speaker, I am honored that the report of the parliamentary delegation to the West Bank and Gaza, this past August, is now presented.

It was a significant and compelling experience and I am committed to raising awareness about the worsening humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the need to end the blockade, normalize borders, and end the occupation of Palestinian lands

Libby speaking up for the NDP Climate Change Bill
October 8, 2009

Libby introduced a motion today in the House of Commons to save the NDP Climate Change Bill, Bill C-311, and finally get strong legislation on climate change passed through Parliament.

The Bill is currently before the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment. The Committee Chair tried to delay the Bill by 30 sitting days. Libby’s motion would stop to the delay and get this Bill back into the House of Commons for a final vote. Here is what Libby said in the House today.

HANSARD (blues)
Libby Davies (MP Vancouver East)
Just a few moments ago, the Chair of the environment committee brought forth a motion from the committee to basically ask for an extension and delay of 30 sitting days of examination of Bill C-311, which is the climate change accountability act. I have to say that there is absolutely no legitimate reason for delaying consideration of this bill.

This has caused the NDP to bring forward this motion this morning in the House to instruct the committee to separate the bill and ensure that the bill will now be examined in two parts. Part A would deal with the targets that are set in the bill and that they be brought back into the House by the 10th sitting day after October 19, which would be November 2. If the committee fails to do that, it will be deemed to have been reported back without amendment.

Libby on voter fairness
May 28, 2009

In December 2008, I wrote to Elections Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer to convey my concerns about the many problems voters faced in the last federal election because of changes made to the Elections Act under Bill C-31. The new laws require photo I.D. and restrict the use of vouching for people who aren’t on the voters list. Hundreds of people in East Van had problems because of these changes.

I raised these issues again with the Chief Electoral Officer at the Parliamentary Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. Below is an excerpt from my questions at the Committee.

Parliamentary Committee on Procedure and House Affairs
May 26, 2009

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to the witnesses and their CEO for coming today.

I want to follow up on an issue I've raised many times before, and that has to do with voter identification. I know you got a number of submissions from MPs. We certainly sent one from Vancouver East. This goes back to Bill C-31. I don't want to lay it at your feet, because you didn't suggest it. But you have to live with it.

Libby standing up for mental health
April 13, 2009

On Tuesday, May 12, Libby co-hosted an event on Parliament Hill called Stand Up for Mental Health. The organization uses comedy to raise awareness and break down barriers related to mental illness. Libby made the following statement in the House of Commons to celebrate the event.

House of Commons
HANSARD
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, many people might say one would have to be nuts to do stand-up comedy. Stand Up for Mental Health does just that, for good therapeutic reasons. It raises awareness about mental illness and breaks down prejudice, stigma and discrimination.

Libby’s Bill for a National Housing Strategy
April 2, 2009

Bill C-304 Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP)

When I was first elected to the House in 1997, one of the key issues I brought forward, as the member for Vancouver East, was the critical need for social housing and for affordable housing, not only in Vancouver but across the country. That seems like a long time ago. I feel we have had so many steps going backwards and only a few baby steps going forward.

I want to begin my comments about my bill by pointing out that Canada used to have a sterling record when it came to the provision of affordable housing. We had many good federal programs, whether it was for co-op housing, social housing or special needs housing. There were great programs through CMHC during the 1970s and the 1980s, even going back to the end of the second world war when the vets' housing was built in cities across the country. The federal government always had an incredibly strong presence in the provision of housing. It was seen as a responsible mandate of the federal government.

Libby Speaking out Against Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
March 27, 2009

HANSARD Blues
House of Commons

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be up first on this Friday morning to speak to Bill C-15, which is mandatory minimum sentencing for drug crimes and amends the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

I represent the riding of Vancouver East and, as many people know, it is a riding that has been hit very hard with the seriousness of drug issues. For a number of years when I was first elected that the number of overdoses in the downtown east side was the leading cause of death. It was horribly alarming. It was the number one public health issue where people were dying needlessly, though these are preventable deaths, from drug overdoses because of prohibition and because of the illegal drug market, the black market, where people were buying things on the street and they do not know what they were. The level of overdoses was just horrific, and the chaos, the pain and the suffering that was caused in the downtown east side.

Libby's Parliamentary Statement on Gaza
March 11, 2009

HANSARD
House of Commons

Libby Davies (Vancouver East)

A group of 60 delegates, including 6 Canadians, under the auspices of CODE PINK, are on a Solidarity mission in Gaza this week for International Women’s Day. They are visiting refugee camps, hospitals, and witnessing the devastating aftermath of 22 days of bombing by Israeli defense forces.

Libby Calls for Employment Insurance Reform
March 5, 2009

NDP Motion on Employment Insurance Reform

HANSARD
House of Commons

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Madam Speaker, this is a very good motion before the House today and I am proud to speak to it.

The reason the NDP put this motion before the House today, which calls for some basic reforms to our employment insurance program, is because they were not contained in the budget. We looked at that budget and expected to see an economic stimulus package that would be real for people and would deliver real assistance on the ground to people but it was not there. The badly needed reform of our EI system to help people with coverage, eligibility and training was not in the budget. We, in the NDP, put this motion front and centre in Parliament to say that this is the most basic fundamental of getting it right in terms of helping people.