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MP expenses and annual audits
MP expenses and annual audits
NDP House Leader Libby Davies on Afghan Documents
NDP House Leader Libby Davies on Afghan Documents
OTTAWA – MPs will ask House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken for an extension until Friday to come up with a plan to view sensitive documents related to the transfer of Afghan detainees. NDP House leader Libby Davies said a struggling point is what do to if the Conservatives refuse to publicly release some documents they view as too sensitive.
The original article, MPs seek extension in Afghan detainee drama was published on May 11, 2010 in cnews. Author(s): Althia Raj
An Open Letter to the Public Safety Minister on the Extradition of Marc Emery
An Open Letter to the Public Safety Minister on the Extradition of Marc Emery
An Open Letter to the Public Safety Minister on the Extradition of Marc Emery
The Honourable Vic Toews
Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Toews,
I write to ask that you stop the extradition of Canadian Marc Emery to the United States and allow him to serve his prison sentence in Canada.
Your government took a rare and unnecessary step today, by extraditing a Canadian citizen to serve a prison sentence in America for actions that are not worthy of prosecution under Canadian laws. Further to this uneven approach, it is my understanding that American officials were amiable to Mr. Emery serving his sentence in Canada. Yet your government has refused to cooperate.
I therefore urge you to act in best the interest of this Canadian citizen and in the interest of Canadian sovereignty and allow Mr. Emery to serve his sentence in Canada.
I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Libby Davies, MP
Vancouver East
NDP Spokesperson for Drug Policy
NDP Oppose Canada-Columbia Free Trade Bill
NDP Oppose Canada-Columbia Free Trade Bill
The NDP is filibustering the Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement legislation and obstructing the work of the House, says Government House Leader Jay Hill, but NDP MPs say it's their right to oppose "bad" legislation. The debate could go on indefinitely unless there is a motion to limit the time for debate on the amendment. The motion would have to be supported by a majority of MPs, however, and Mr. Hill (Prince George-Peace River, B.C.)said he could not get support from any of the opposition parties to do this. …NDP House Leader Libby Davies (Vancouver East, B.C.) said, however, that her party has always opposed the bill and will continue to do so. The NDP is not making Parliament dysfunctional, she said, they're simply doing their jobs. "The record will show that from day one, the NDP was always clear that we opposed that bill and that's our right to do so. It's not like all of a sudden we said, we're not going to support this bill and this is about making Parliament dysfunctional," she said. "We oppose that bill because we think it's bad legislation and that's legitimate. It's part of our democratic process in Parliament, representing Canadian people."
The original article, NDP filibustering Canada-Columbia Free Trade Bill was published on October 19, 2009 in The Hill Times. Author(s): BEA VONGDOUANGCHANH
Libby Davies speaks out on attack on humanitarian aid ships
First Nations Governance Act
Libby in Question Period – Canada failing international committments on maternal and child health
Libby in Question Period – Canada failing international committments on maternal and child health
The Conservative government has been vocal in its decision to change Canada’s internationl development policy and stop funding access to safe abortions where it is legal. Yet the same government has been silent on mother to child transmission of HIV. Libby recently raised these issues in the House of Commons.
House of Commons
HANSARD
Question Period
International Co-operation
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of maternal health and the upcoming G8 and G20 meetings, the Conservative government has been vocal on issues where it should not have been and silent on issues where Canada needs to take a strong stand. Let us start out with what it should not have said.
Ignoring advice from the WHO to provide funding for access to safe abortion, the government decided instead to dictate its Conservative ideology to women in developing countries.
Does the government really believe it knows better than the WHO? Could it possibly be that arrogant?
Hon. Josée Verner (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister for La Francophonie, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to inform the House that this week the G8 ministers expressed their support for Canada’s maternal health initiative. The government wants to save the lives of mothers and children in the developing world in a way that unites, rather than divides Canadians.
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, the reality is the government is taking a stand that puts us at odds with our international partners and aid organizations, yet it is silent on issues where Canada’s voice is desperately needed.
Why has the government said nothing on mother-to-child transmission of HIV? Four hundred thousand babies are born annually with HIV. The international goal is to eliminate mother-to-child transmission by 2015.
Will the government commit today to support initiatives to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV?
Hon. Josée Verner (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister for La Francophonie, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, our initiative will focus on training and support for front line health workers, on treating and preventing disease, and on screening for and treating sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-AIDS.
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, clearly initiatives aimed at the spread of HIV and AIDS would also protect mothers by increasing their access to ongoing treatment. Surely, the prospect of ending mother-to-child transmission is a goal that we can all get behind. We need to get behind the full plan, not just one element of it.
Why has the government been ducking this issue? We want to know if the government will listen to the experts and get behind the full goal and the full program of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015. It should get behind not just some little part of it, but the full deal.
Hon. Josée Verner (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister for La Francophonie, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, as I just told the House, our initiative focuses on screening for and treating sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-AIDS, as well as proper medicine, obstetric care and training for front line nursing staff.
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