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Band-Aid Won’t Fix Elections Act Debacle: NDP

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Posted on 2007.11.2

Band-Aid Won’t Fix Elections Act Debacle: NDP

OTTAWA AND TIMMINS – The NDP blasted the government’s new proposal to amend the Elections Act that was introduced today in the House of Commons, because it still fails to solve all the problems created by the passage Bill C-31 last spring, which amended the Elections Act to substantially restrict the way people identify themselves.

“The government’s Bill C-31 tried to solve a problem, but was nothing but a disaster,” said NDP Democratic Reform Critic Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay). “It was little more than a ‘get tough on voting’ bill that has disenfranchised rural Canadians, First Nations, students and the homeless. Putting a band-aid on this won’t do the job.”

Earlier this week, Angus – who himself was made ineligible to vote by the Bill – proposed a straightforward solution to the government to amend the act in order to allow voters to swear under oath if they have no other identification. This amendment would insure that any eligible voter would not be denied the right to vote.

“The other parties all failed to do their homework on Bill C-31,” said NDP House Leader Libby Davies (Vancouver East). “The ink is barely dry on the Bill and already the Harper government is putting forward amendments to try and fix some of the problems they themselves have created.” Davies riding includes a high transient and homeless population affected by the Bill.

Davies also pointed out that the NDP proposed amendments to fix the Bill in the spring, but the other parties shot down the NDP’s proposals – after the Harper government and the Liberals agreed to a Bloc proposal to release private birthdate information to political parties.

“We want today’s Bill sent to committee and we expect a careful study,” declared Angus. “We are urging all parties to think the problems through carefully this time and take their responsibilities seriously.”

Once Again Accountability in Short Supply at the Federal Level

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Posted on 2004.08.27

Once Again Accountability in Short Supply at the Federal Level

OTTAWA – Libby Davies, NDP Housing Critic today called on Housing Minister Joe Fontana to ensure accountability when it comes to federal funds for housing.

“The BC government has chosen to renege on their affordable housing commitments and the federal government is doing nothing to prevent this from happening,” said the Vancouver East MP.

Home Insecurity: The State of Social Housing in BC, a report released earlier this week by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Tenants’ Rights Action Coalition, finds that the provincial government is diverting federal funds earmarked for housing into assisted living spaces in an attempt to meet the province’s health care commitments.

“While assisting living is also a pressing need it is not social housing,” said the Vancouver East MP. “We have a housing and homelessness crisis in communities across this country and the federal government can’t seem to get it together enough to ensure that the little money they do provide provinces for housing actually gets spend on creating affordable housing units.”

Since the federal government signed the Affordable Housing Framework Agreement in November of 2001 few provinces have matched the funds committed by the federal government. As a result, very few affordable housing units have been created.

The federal government must introduce binding accountability rules which would guarantee funds transferred for housing programs are actual spend in that area. “Affordable housing needs to be on the agenda and we in the NDP are going to use our position in the current minority government to make sure an effective national affordable housing program gets underway,” said Davies.

Trudeau Liberals hope to retain LGBT support in October election in face of challenges from NDP and Greens

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Trudeau Liberals hope to retain LGBT support in October election in face of challenges from NDP and Greens

“Long-time Vancouver East NDP MP Libby Davies was the first openly queer female parliamentarian. “There were many civil servants, going back to the ’60s, the ’70s, and earlier who were fired, who faced terrible discrimination, some people who took their own life because of what they faced,” Davies told the Straight before the 2014 Pride parade. “There has never been an official apology and we think there needs to be recognition for what people faced in that era and it calls upon the Canadian government to issue an official apology.”

The original article, Trudeau Liberals hope to retain LGBT support in October election in face of challenges from NDP and Greens was published on July 25, 2019 in The Georgia Straight. Author(s): Charlie Smith

Failed US Style Drug Policy Wrong for Everyday Canadians

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Posted on 2007.10.4

Failed US Style Drug Policy Wrong for Everyday Canadians

WINNIPEG, TORONTO AND SURREY – NDP Spokesperson for Drug Policy Libby Davies (Vancouver East), NDP Health Critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) and Public Safety Critic Penny Priddy (Surrey North) criticized the Conservatives for taking the wrong direction on their anti-drug strategy today.

“We need to combat the very real problem of youth gangs, violence and crack houses in our communities,” said Wasylycia-Leis. “But everyday Canadians know that simply criminalizing a public health problem is not the solution. We don’t need more advertising – we need to invest in harm reduction, education, treatment, and enforcement.”

“A heavy handed US style war-on-drugs only serves to create a culture of fear,” said Davies. “This so called drug strategy fails to address the very real needs in our communities. Experts and average Canadians alike agree that we need to invest in real, long-term solutions to drug use and the problems that result from serious substance abuse.”

The New Democrat MPs pointed out that the Conservative government has consistently failed to address the root problems of drug use in Canada or to invest sufficiently in real enforcement solutions.

“The Conservatives are not investing enough money where it’s needed to combat the very real problems of crime and public safety in our communities,” said Priddy. “Investing in adequate police resources allows the police more time both for enforcement work as well as for school and community outreach initiatives.”

The Conservatives showed their focus was on greater enforcement over treatment and prevention in its 2007 budget, when it removed harm reduction as a pillar of Canada’s Drug Strategy. Health Minister Tony Clement has also refused to commit to the requested three year extension to InSite, Vancouver’s safe injection site, despite the scientific findings that the program has reduced the transmission of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, and increased by 30% the number of people accessing treatment.

“Empirical evidence has proven that treatment, prevention and harm reduction programs, that are community based and accessible to drug users, are key components in preventing drug use,” said Davies. “The government must acknowledge that these programs continue to produce positive social and economic results for working families in our communities.”

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