Author: admin

Libby calling for fairness for Marc Emery – Libby Davies

Posted on by admin
Posted on 2010.10.22

Libby calling for fairness for Marc Emery

Libby and 12 of her NDP Colleagues sent the following letter to Canada’s Public Safety Minister, calling for action to ensure Marc Emery can serve his sentence in Canada.

The Honourable Vic Toews
Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Toews,

I write to urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure the timely transfer of Canadian Marc Emery from the United States to Canada so that he may serve his prison sentence nearer family, friends and supporters.

In May, 2009, your government took a rare and unnecessary step and extradited a Canadian citizen to serve a prison sentence in the US for actions that are not worthy of prosecution under Canadian laws.

Since then, the prosecutor in Mr. Emery’s case has since denounced the ruling against Mr. Emery saying “As Emery’s prosecutor and a former federal law-enforcement official, however, I’m not afraid to say out loud what most of my former colleagues know is true: Our marijuana policy is dangerous and wrong and should be changed through the legislative process to better protect the public safety.”

At his sentencing, the U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez recommended that Mr. Emery be allowed to serve his time in a Canadian prison.

I understand that there is a necessary process involved in the transfer of Mr. Emery to Canada. However, I call on you to agree in principle to Mr. Emery’s transfer and to ensure that the process of his transfer is undertaken at the first possible opportunity.

Sincerely,

Libby Davies, MP Vancouver East
Alex Atamanenko, MP BC Southern Interior
Jean Crowder, MP Nanaimo-Cowichan
Don Davies, MP Vancouver-Kingsway
Paul Dewar, MP Ottawa-Centre
Yvon Godin, MP Acadie-Bathurst
Jack Harris, MP St. John’s East
Bruce Hyer, MP Thunder Bay- Superior North
Peter Julian, MP Burnaby-New Westminster
Megan Leslie, MP Halifax
Jim Maloway, MP Elmwood-Transcona
Denise Savoie, MP Victoria
Bill Siksay, MP Burnaby-Douglas

Challenging increasing wait times for health care – Libby Davies

Posted on by admin
Posted on 2014.06.3

Challenging increasing wait times for health care

    [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:”308″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”}}]]

 

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the minister’s assurance ring very hollow when we consider that the Conservatives eliminated the funding specifically targeted at reducing wait times. It has gone.

    The Wait Time Alliance report card reveals that Canadians are waiting far longer for emergency care than people in other comparable countries, and 4.4 million Canadians have no family doctor.

    Instead of working with the provinces to address these challenges, the government has abandoned them.

    Why will the minister not come to the table with the provinces and work with them to improve health care for Canadians?

    Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am happy to work every day with the provinces and territories on the delivery of health care, and it is, of course, their responsibility and they work very hard at it.

    I would just point out to the member that in fact the Canadian Institute of Health Information saw 2012 as the highest level of physicians per capita in Canada in the history of Canada, so there is a lot of progress being made there.

    As well, if we look at comparing ourselves to other countries, last year the OECD noted that Canada had the lowest medium wait times for cataract surgery and the second lowest medium wait times for hips and knee replacements compared to countries like Finland, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., so we are making progress.

    Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is not only a jurisdictional question for the provinces and the territories, it is a federal issue as well.

    Commitments were made by the federal government. Most times, outcomes speak louder than words, and wait times in fact, according to this report card, are not improving. In fact, Canadians are now paying a very high emotional, physical and even financial cost for the long wait times.

    According to the report today, the cost to the economy of lengthy waits for just five procedures is $15 billion a year.

    Why will the government not honour the commitments that were made and become an active partner in reducing wait times for Canadians?

    Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Health, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we are an active partner in reducing wait times, and the member knows we provided $1 billion for the provinces and territories to establish the wait times guarantees in their own priorities areas.

    Importantly, they were able to choose those areas that were priorities for them in their own health systems.

    We have seen concrete results with, as I said, priority procedures in provinces meeting nearly 80% of time targets, including radiation therapy and other procedures.

    We are working with the provinces and territories in many other ways to help them reduce wait times, whether it be things like electronic health records, and also working with them on a national strategy for health human resources to help reduce wait–

    The Speaker: Order, please. The hon. member for Toronto Centre.

NDP Statement in the House of Commons on the earthquake in China – Libby Davies

Posted on by admin
Posted on 2008.05.15

NDP Statement in the House of Commons on the earthquake in China

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): – Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the NDP, we express sorrow and concern regarding the tragic and devastating earthquake in China. We offer our sincere condolences to the victims and families in Sichuan, Beichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Chongqing, Yunnan and Henan and other areas that were affected.

The loss of life, the suffering of communities and the grief of individual families is deeply saddening. We extend our deepest sympathy to those who are suffering losses in China, as well as to the Chinese Canadian community who are coping with this loss and the unknown whereabouts of family and friends in the wake of this terrible tragedy.

All Canadians share this grief and loss, and hope for recovery and support to rebuild the lives of survivors and their communities. We urge the Canadian government to demonstrate its compassion and support by providing any immediate assistance possible.

Our thoughts and prayers are with China and its people.

Libby getting answers on the HST – Libby Davies

Posted on by admin
Posted on 2009.09.29

Libby getting answers on the HST

Question Period
House of Commons
September 29, 2009

Right Hon. Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, CPC) :
The leader of the NDP is obviously very confused. The decision of whether to harmonize a provincial sales tax with a federal sales tax is a decision made by the province. On the contrary, this government lowered the GST, the federal sales tax, twice. The NDP voted against it and argued against it both times.

Some hon. members: Hear, hear!

Right Hon. Stephen Harper: Mr. Speaker, they cheer. That is why nobody thinks they have any credibility on talking about sales taxes.

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, there is no confusion on this side. We know where this tax started. It started with that government in their budget and now they are trying to hide from it.

In my province of British Columbia, hard-working families are being hit with this surprise tax hike on everything from haircuts to home heating. We know about the $1.6 billion bribe that is being paid to the provincial Liberals. However, we do not know when negotiations started or why the government is now trying to duck the issue.

The people of B.C. have the right to know the truth. Can the Minister of Finance tell the House here and now when he began negotiating—(the HST with B.C.)

Hon. Jim Flaherty (Minister of Finance, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the decision whether or not to harmonize was of course made by those provinces that have not yet harmonized. The discussions that I had with the province of British Columbia began after the provincial election in British Columbia.

Libby Davies, NDP deputy leader, won’t run in 2015 – Libby Davies

Posted on by admin

Libby Davies, NDP deputy leader, won’t run in 2015

NDP deputy leader Libby Davies says that after 40 years of public service, including 18 years as a member of Parliament for Vancouver East, it's time for her to move on. "I know it's time for me to pass the torch. I will not be seeking re-election in the next federal election," Davies said in a written statement Friday. The long-time NDP MP thanked her constituents for electing her even as she took on difficult policy issues over the years. "I have taken on tough issues, like the need for drug policy reform and I remember being told, 'You'll never get re-elected if you take on issues like this.' "But the people of East Vancouver have stood by me," she said. Davies, who is also the party's health critic, was recently credited for pushing forward with an NDP Opposition motion to help thalidomide survivors, which received unanimous support in the House of Commons earlier this month.

The original article, Libby Davies, NDP deputy leader, won't run in 2015 was published on December 12, 2014 in CBC. Author(s): CBC
Top