Blog – Libby Davies yeehaw

NDP Accuses Clement of Looking for Excuses to Kill InSite

Posted on

Posted on 2006.09.1

NDP Accuses Clement of Looking for Excuses to Kill InSite

OTTAWA – NDP Leader Jack Layton and Vancouver East NDP MP Libby Davies today accused Health Minister Tony Clement of plotting to close the heralded safe injection site, despite prominent Canadian and international drug policy experts’ call to keep InSite open.

“If Tony Clement wanted to keep Vancouver’s safe injection site open, he wouldn’t have travelled to Sweden-a country with no safe injection site and one of the most restrictive drug policies in the E.U.- looking for excuses to close InSite,” said Libby Davies.

Along with dozens of front line community groups and thousands of area residents, the renewal of InSite is supported by: Health Canada,Vancouver Police, BC Premier Gordon Campbell, Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Dr. Julio Montaner, President Elect, International AIDS Society, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, UN Special Envoy HIV/AIDS Stephen Lewis, former Vancouver Mayors Mike Harcourt, Philip Owen and Sen. Larry Campbell

“How many more rational voices and reliable data does Tony Clement need? Sweden should be sending their drug policy experts to Vancouver, not the other way around,” said Layton.

“It’s clear to the people and businesses of Vancouver East that Tony Clement should stop waffling and immediately announce continued federal support for InSite,” said Davies.

Both Layton and Davies attended the recent World AIDS Conference in Toronto where UN Special AIDS Envoy Stephen Lewis and former US President Bill Clinton praised InSite and called to expand such harm reduction programs across North America.

“The evidence is in and it’s irrefutable,” said Davies. “There is no reason to delay in renewing the permit,” she added.

InSite legally operates due to an exemption by Health Canada under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The program will close its doors to hundreds of clients if the exemption is not renewed by Sept. 13.

Podcast: Federal Election 101 & Politics with Libby Davies

Posted on

Podcast: Federal Election 101 & Politics with Libby Davies

How do minority governments form? How will your MP represent you in Ottawa? In this week’s episode of Democracy Watch, UBC political science professor Kathryn Harrison gives a federal election primer and former Vancouver city councillor and NDP MP, Libby Davies, talks about her new book and her experience as a rabble rouser running for city hall in the 1970s-80s.

The original article, Federal Election 101 & Politics with Libby Davies was published on September 2, 2019 in CITR. Author(s): CiTR’s Current Affairs Collective

Ottawa urged to improve dementia and Alzheimer’s strategy

Posted on

Ottawa urged to improve dementia and Alzheimer’s strategy

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s a disease on the rise, and there are now calls nationally for more of a focus on dementia, coming only days after a North Vancouver senior’s death. The federal government is being urged to come up with a better plan. NDP MP Libby Davies says people are worried about what will happen to them as they get older. “It’s basically a time bomb waiting to go off in terms of how it’s going to impact the next generation, and we just don’t have a timeline, a strategy, a plan in Canada to deal with it.” Canada is attending a G8 Dementia Summit tomorrow, but Davies says our country is trailing others. “There are many other countries that have much better systems and resources to respond to Alzheimer’s and dementia. In Canada, we don’t have that yet,” she adds.

The original article, Ottawa urged to improve dementia and Alzheimer’s strategy was published on December 10, 2013 in News 1130. Author(s): Jason Howe

Libby Speaking on Voter Engagement

Posted on

Libby Speaking on Voter Engagement

OTTAWA — Want to know how your MP has been voting in the House of Commons? Finding out has just become a whole lot easier. The House of Commons website has launched a feature that allows visitors to see how MPs voted. Friday's change brings Canadian transparency one step closer to the system in the United States — where Congress regularly posts voting results within an hour, and has detailed records going back 20 years.

The original article, MPs' Commons voting records now online was published on April 17, 2009 in The Globe and Mail. Author(s): Alexander Panetta

CONSERVATIVES MUST ACT NOW TO FIX DRUG SAFETY SYSTEM

Posted on

Posted on 2013.11.14

CONSERVATIVES MUST ACT NOW TO FIX DRUG SAFETY SYSTEM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

OTTAWA – In a dangerous catch 22, Health Canada has approved thousands of prescription drugs but doesn’t have the legal authority to issue recalls if they are found to be harmful.

“Canadians rely on prescription drugs and it is unconscionable that if there is a safety concern with flu medication for example, a recall is at the manufacturer’s discretion and not Health Canada’s,” said NDP Health critic Libby Davies (Vancouver East). “There’s an obvious potential conflict of interest here that the Minister of Health must address.”

There have been over 200 drug recalls this year. In response to a recent independent audit, Health Canada has pledged to respond to drug recalls more quickly and to improve their communication processes. However this does not address the agency’s inability to issue drug recalls. The U.S.’s Food and Drug Administration which serves a similar role to Health Canada, has legal authority to order a drug recall.

“Canada’s drug safety system can barely be called that, especially when compared to other industrialized countries,” said Davies. “Instead of slashing millions from Health Canada’s budget every year, the Conservatives should be fighting to protect Canadians’ safety.”

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Top