“Today’s report highlights the Conservatives’ utter failure to act,” said New Democrat Aboriginal Affairs Critic Jean Crowder (Nanaimo--Cowichan). “Every child deserves an equal chance – but under this government, First Nation kids are left behind.” 

According to the report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canada ranks 25^th among the 30 OECD countries in child poverty. Despite persistent calls from the NDP, the Conservative government has yet to remove the 2% funding cap on essential social services. 

“We just marked the fifth anniversary of the official apology for residential schools—in which the government acknowledged the harm done to children and their families,” said NDP deputy critic for Aboriginal Affairs, Jonathan Genest-Jourdain (Manicouagan). “It is distressing to see that aboriginal youth are still not a priority for the Conservatives.”

OTTAWA – Randall Garrison (Esquimalt–Juan de Fuca), NDP Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Issues critic, welcomed the passage of Bill C-32 with the inclusion of an NDP amendment. 

“I am happy that the Conservatives stopped dragging their feet and followed through on the promise that they made more than a year ago to validate non-resident same-sex marriages and to provide the opportunity for those married in Canada to get divorced here when their marriage is not recognized where they reside,” said Garrison.  “The passage of C-32 removes once and for all any doubt about the legality of non-resident same-sex marriages, a problem largely of the Conservatives own making.” 

“It remains a mystery why the government took so long to bring this bill forward,” Garrison said.  “We in the NDP never threatened to delay or defeat the legislation, but we always said we thought it could be improved.” 

Bill C-32 was amended and passed by unanimous consent as part of the negotiations leading to the close of the session.  The NDP was able to negotiate the inclusion of an amendment which makes same-sex divorce more accessible for those caught in the gap when they can`t get supporting documents from their home jurisdiction.  

“We were happy to work with the government to build the best legislation possible for same-sex couples married in Canada.  This was never an issue of partisanship but rather an issue of equality,” Garrison concluded.

 “Passage of this law would be a clear violation of Russia's international obligations to protect freedom of speech and association for all Russians as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to protect minorities as a member of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe,” Dewar said. “Adopting this law is likely to promote increased discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Russians.”

 “Creating criminal penalties including heavy fines and possible imprisonment for the vague offense of promoting non-traditional sexual practices through the media or in public violates international human rights norms,” Garrison said. “It will also endanger Russia's tourism industry and Russia's ability to host international events, including the upcoming Olympics.”

 Dewar and Garrison call on Minister Baird to urge Russia's upper house to defeat the proposed ‘homosexual propaganda’ law, and urge President Putin to refuse to sign the law. 

“In December the finance minister promised Canadians that he would meet with his provincial counterparts by June 2013,” said Mathyssen. “June is almost over and there’s no sign of a provincial finance ministers meeting anytime soon. I have asked the minister in the House several times when the meeting will be scheduled and he has refused to answer.” 

More and more Canadians are heading into retirement without enough savings. There is a growing consensus that a phased increased in the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) is the most practical and effective way to boost the retirement security of Canadians. As even the government’s own data shows, a modest increase in CPP premiums could finance a substantial increase in benefits. 

“Canadians depend on the CPP/QPP for retirement security,” said Mathyssen. “The government’s failure to show leadership on this extremely important issue shows the Conservatives don’t take the retirement security of Canadians seriously.”

OTTAWA – NDP Caucus Chair Peter Julian (Burnaby – New Westminster) has tabled a motion to bring full transparency and accountability to the House of Commons. 

“This motion would create an independent body charged with ensuring accountability and transparency in Parliament. New Democrats are proposing that MPs no longer be in charge of policing themselves,” said Julian. “This would not only increase transparency but also increase accountability beyond simple disclosure.” 

The NDP has been working on these issues for over a year and have brought forward similar proposals on MP pensions and MP salaries. 

“We hope the Conservatives and the Liberals will look at this proposal seriously. It’s time to have a serious debate about this issue – we need to move beyond stunts and political games,” said Julian.  

The motion reads as follows: 

That, in order to bring full transparency and accountability to House of Commons spending, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be instructed to: 

(a)  conduct open and public hearings with a view to replace the Board of Internal Economy with an independent oversight body; 

(b)  invite the Auditor General, the Clerk and the Chief Financial Officer of the House of Commons to participate fully in these hearings; 

(c)  study the practices of provincial and territorial legislatures, as well as other jurisdictions and Westminster-style Parliaments in order to compare and contrast their administrative oversight; 

(d)  propose modifications to the Parliament of Canada Act, the Financial Administration Act, the Auditor General Act and any other acts as deemed necessary; 

(e)  propose any necessary modifications to the administrative policies and practices of the House of Commons; and 

(f)   report its findings to the House no later than December 2, 2013 in order to have any proposed changes to expense disclosure and reporting in place for the beginning of the next fiscal year.

The people of Iran used these elections to send a clear signal to the world and to the regime that they reject extremism. 

We share global concerns that the political and electoral processes in Iran remain deeply undemocratic. Candidates were pre-vetted by a secretive committee appointed by the Supreme Leader, opposition activists remain in prison, and press freedom is tightly restricted. But the outcome of the elections matter.           

We urge the government of Iran to use this moment as an opportunity to set the country on a new path for the future – one that respects the democratic aspirations of the people of Iran.  In particular, we call on Iran to honour its international obligations and engage constructively with our allies in P5+1 to agree to a diplomatic solution that will fully address the international community’s grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. 

We also call the government to respond to the democratic demands of its citizens, release all political prisoners, build constructive relationships with the international community, and fully respect the political and human rights of all Iranians. 

We continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran in their pursuit of peace and freedom.

Today, Canadians across the country are taking part in rallies to condemn the Conservative cuts to health care services for some of the most vulnerable members of our society. On behalf of New Democrats everywhere, we join these Canadians and call for a reversal of Conservative cuts to the Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program for refugees. 

Last year we urged the Conservatives to have a heart and cancel these cuts before they came into effect. Sadly, Conservatives completely ignored the demands of doctors, health experts and former refugees. Our health care professionals report that as a result of these cuts, many people have been denied the care they needed. 

A core value in our society is the idea that we all have a responsibility to take care of one another – especially the vulnerable. Unfortunately, the Conservatives ignored that basic Canadian value and chose to play politics with people’s lives. 

Canadians deserve better. Once again, we urge the government to reverse these reckless cuts.

 The NDP has long demonstrated its commitment to offering seniors the best possible quality of life so that they may grow older with the dignity and respect they deserve.  

 Unfortunately, poor treatment of seniors continues on many levels—financial, physical and intellectual—and we share a responsibility to stop it. As we move forward, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of those organizations that work so hard to end elder abuse and negligence. 

 Let me also share a special thought for CARP founder Lillian Morgenthau, who died last Thursday. She founded this visionary organization nearly 30 years ago, long before we devoted such collective attention to the protection and well-being of seniors. Her vision helped to raise public awareness about the issues seniors face and to encourage social progress so seniors may live without fear of discrimination. We must continue on this path and do even more to prevent seniors from becoming victims of abuse.

 New Democrats believe that by reinforcing—not cutting—programs and services for seniors that have proved successful, they will be stronger, healthier, and more confident as they live out their lives.

 We are all responsible for seniors’ safety and well-being. The NDP will continue to propose solutions to make their lives better.”

On April 25 2013, members of the New Democratic caucus wrote to FIFA urging a clarification, so that children could return to the soccer fields. Today, that clarification was provided.

 Leader of the Official Opposition Tom Mulcair was the only leader to reach out directly to both the Quebec federation and its Canadian counterpart, in order to facilitate a resolution. As he stated, sports should be about including people from all different walks of life, not excluding them.

 As adults, it falls upon us to find a peaceful solution, otherwise it’s the kids who pay the price. And perhaps we can learn a thing or two from them. After all, it was under-14 FC Brossard players who, in solidarity, sported turbans on the field last weekend.

 To be sure, the safety of our children is paramount. But when, as we have stated all along, no such safety issue exists – as was the case here – we as adults need to do the right thing and just let our kids play.

 As summer is underway and new friendships and bonds are built, I look forward to seeing Sikh children return to the soccer fields to play the beautiful game with their peers.

QUEBEC — Official Opposition leader Tom Mulcair has launched a petition to force the federal Minister of Transport Denis Lebel to take responsibility and stop the toxic dust that is engulfing numerous neighbourhoods of the greater Quebec City Area. 

“Minister Lebel can’t just wash his hands of this issue – he must do everything in his power to correct it as soon as possible,” said Mulcair during his visit to Quebec City, where he met with the co-founder of the Initiative citoyenne de vigilance du Port de Québec, Véronique Lalande. 

“I would like to applaud Ms. Lalande, whose advocacy focused public attention on this health issue and helped rally the citizens of the Quebec City region to force the Port of Quebec to change their practices,” stated the NDP leader. 

For her part, Lalande thanked New Democrats for the petition, which will help maintain pressure on the federal government to seriously address this serious problem. “I appreciate the NDP initiative as an important contribution to the struggle to protect the health of our families and that of the general public,” said Lalande. 

New Democrat MP Raymond Côté (Beauport-Limoilou) encouraged citizens to rally together by signing the petition. “From the beginning, public involvement has been impressive. This shows just how much citizens are concerned with this issue.” 

The Port of Quebec is part of the Canada Port Authorities – which falls under the supervision of Transport Canada – is tasked with ensuring that environmental laws are respected. The minister, therefore, must ensure that the Port of Quebec respects the established operating standards. 

The petition is available at the following address: http://petition.ndp.ca/dust