Category: Uncategorized

Liberals Join Conservatives to Kill Labour Bill

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Posted on 2007.03.22

Liberals Join Conservatives to Kill Labour Bill

OTTAWA – “With workers’ rights at stake, Liberal leader Stephane Dion joined the Conservative government to kill legislation that would level the playing field for workers in federally regulated industries during a strike,” said NDP Labour Spokesperson Libby Davies (MP Vancouver East).

Bill C-257 had strong Liberal support at second reading, but the bill to ban replacement workers during a strike lost the final vote after a Liberal flip-flop that saw 29 Liberals switch their vote from yeas to nays.

“Under Dion’s so-called leadership, support for workers’ rights has just dropped by 30%,” said Davies. “Almost 80 Liberals and 20 Conservatives voted in favour of the bill at second reading. At last night’s final vote, only one Conservative stood his ground, and over 50 Liberals, including Dion, followed Harpers lead to kill this bill,” she added.

The legislation would have brought labour stability and evened the playing field for workers and employers. Similar long-standing provincial legislation in B.C and Quebec has seen the number and length of labour disputes decline while economic investment in those provinces has soared.

“Workers’ rights have been chipped away at in Canadian legislation over the past 25 years. We saw almost nothing in this week’s budget for Canadian workers and their families. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that the collective bargaining process is protected under the law,” said Davies.

NDP MPs Say Budget Fails Vancouver

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Posted on 2007.03.20

NDP MPs Say Budget Fails Vancouver

OTTAWA – Libby Davies (MP Vancouver East) spoke out against today’s federal budget for failing to close the prosperity gap in Vancouver East.

“With corporate tax cuts totalling $8 billion, today’s budget will further widen, not shrink, the gap between those at the top end and middle-class and working families,” said Libby Davies.

The Conservative budget extends the corporate tax advantages for big oil and gas companies another 8 years. “Corporate Canada and the oil sands don’t need more taxpayer’s money, working and middle-class families do,” said Layton.

“With no new announcements for affordable housing, this federal budget completely ignores the homelessness and housing crisis facing Vancouver” said Davies. “This is particularly disturbing given the recent recommendations of the VANOC Inner City Inclusive Committee Housing Table, which called for 3200 new affordable housing units” she added.

Libby Davies stated that the budget doesn’t do enough for Canada’s working families and it does nothing to close the prosperity gap.

New Election Law Bad for Voters: NDP – Libby Davies

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Posted on 2007.02.13

New Election Law Bad for Voters: NDP

OTTAWA – Strict changes to the requirement for voter identification could disenfranchise thousands of voters, say two NDP MPs. Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) and Libby Davies (Vancouver East) are raising concerns today about Bill C-31, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Public Service Employment Act.

The NDP is also concerned that Elections Canada will now have the authority to collect and share the birth date information of Canadian voters.

“We have to protect the integrity of the voting system,” said Davies. “New requirements for voter I.D. will add further barriers to voting for marginalized, low-income people, and seriously undermine the right to vote,” added Davies, whose riding includes the Downtown East Side, where hundreds of people live in homeless shelters and rooming homes.

The proposed legislation also raises concerns about data sharing and confidentiality.

“The Conservative bill would require electors’ birth date information to be shared with Elections Canada,” said Dewar. “Compounding this potential breach of privacy was the Bloc amendment at Committee, supported by the Liberals and Conservatives, to allow the information to be shared with all registered political parties. Why do political parties need our birth dates? I am convinced that ordinary Canadians would not welcome this intrusion into their privacy. The NDP is committed to stopping the ever-widening distribution of such a large amount of data.”

The Bill is at third reading stage and, if passed, would be in effect for the next federal election.

Leaky Condos Adding to the Affordabilty Crisis: NDP BC Caucus Supports Appeal to New Federal Housing Minister

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Posted on 2007.02.21

Leaky Condos Adding to the Affordabilty Crisis: NDP BC Caucus Supports Appeal to New Federal Housing Minister

OTTAWA – The NDP today called on the government to fulfill the Conservative Party’s 2006 election promise for a review of the largest and costliest construction crisis in Canadian history – BC’s leaky condo crisis – and implement the Barrett Commission Inquiry’s recommendation for financial relief.

Carmen Maretic, President of Consumer Advocacy and Support for Homeowners (CASH) Society was joined by six NDP MPs: Dawn Black (New Westminster-Coquitlam), Libby Davies (Vancouver East), Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster), Penny Priddy (Surrey North), Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) and NDP Housing Critic Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe). The group demanded that the new Federal Housing Minister, Monte Solberg, keep the Conservative campaign promise and act immediately.

“Leaky condo and cooperative owners continue to struggle with repairs and escalating costs. The average per unit costs rose from $38,000 to $62,000 for cooperative owners and from $20,000 to $54,000 for condo owners from 2000 to 2006,” said Siksay.

“It’s been seven years since the inquiry into the construction of condominiums gave its recommendations and we have only seen inaction from the Liberal and Conservative governments,” said Julian.

The key recommendations coming out of the Barrett Commission included: forgiving the GST on repair and restoration costs; income tax deduction of repair costs; fair and flexible Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation grants to leaky housing cooperatives; and penalty free access to RRSPs to fund repairs. The Commission also suggested that CMHC has failed to be an advocate for homebuyers in the coastal climate of British Columbia.

“The Barrett Commission, a BC provincial inquiry, could only go so far in determining what role CMHC played in the delivery of substandard constructed homes. That’s why the Federal government must hold an inquiry to get to the bottom of this matter and to prevent other Canadians from falling victim to defective homes,” said Maretic.

“Thousands of working families urgently need their government to stand up and implement the recommendations from the Barrett Commission. We are also expecting nothing more than for the Conservatives to keep their campaign promise,” said Black.

Priddy noted that there are other costs involved. The health hazards of living with mould in walls, ceilings and floors are serious, especially for infants and young children who have more fragile respiratory systems and those who have weak immune systems.

Affordable, Quality, Public Child Care Now: NDP

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Posted on 2007.02.6

Affordable, Quality, Public Child Care Now: NDP

OTTAWA – Canada’s families need access to affordable, quality, public child care now, said NDP Child Care Advocate Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) and the NDP BC caucus, one year after the Conservative government cancelled provincial child care agreements.

“The façade of ‘choice’ in Conservative child care has been thoroughly discredited,” said Chow. “Ordinary families are taking the brunt of this government’s stubborn refusal to admit that it’s wrong, that it hasn’t created any new spaces, and that child care is simply unaffordable for too many parents,” added NDP MP Libby Davies (Vancouver East).

In January, the BC government said that due to the lack of federal financial support, it will reduce child care funding as of July 2007 – forcing child care providers across the province to close their doors or raise their fees.

Chow and Davies were joined by BC NDP MPs Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior), Catherine Bell (Vancouver Island North), Dawn Black (New Westminster Coquitlam), Nathan Cullen (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) and Denise Savoie (Victoria). Jean Crowder (Nanaimo-Cowichan), Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster) Bill Siksay (Burnaby Douglas) and Penny Priddy (Surrey North) who were unable to attend also joined their voices to the cause.

Savoie’s private members bill C-303 – the Early Learning and Child Care Act – would ensure adequate, stable federal funding for quality, affordable public child care. It was passed at Second Reading in the House of Commons in the fall.

“There are massive waitlists for child care in Victoria and across BC,” said Savoie. “The Conservative plan has utterly failed to make life more secure and affordable for families. It has robbed countless parents of choice in caring for their children.”

The NDP BC caucus called on the federal Conservatives and the BC Liberals to stop passing the child care buck and cooperate on a national public child care system.

“Child care is in crisis in BC,” said Bell. “This is not the time to stand by bad public policy that is clearly having a devastating effect on ordinary families. It is time to find a better plan, and the NDP has one.”

The Conservative government has failed to implement a realistic plan for the promised $250 million targeted to create child care spaces starting on April 2007. To make matters worse, families will pay the federal government $224 million in taxes on the $100 allowance, and lose $400 million cut from the cancelled Young Child Supplement.

The MPs called on parents and citizens who oppose these federal and provincial decisions to speak out loudly by contacting the Prime Minister and local Liberal and Conservative MPs to express support for Bill C-303.

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