House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2011, with 37% of the vote.
Maternal and Child Health May 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, yesterday's comment by Senator Ruth exposes the Conservative culture of intimidation. When groups speak up, they lose funding. When individuals speak up, they are attacked. Public servants get fired. For example, KAIROS, MATCH, CRIAW, Linda Keen, Peter Tinsley, Paul Kennedy and Richard Colvin. As more speak up, the intimidation gets worse.
Why is the current government so intent on trying to shut up those who speak out?
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns April 30th, 2010
With regard to the New Horizons for Seniors Program: (a) how many applications have been received from Manitoba in the last three proposal calls; (b) what organizations have received funding from the Program in Manitoba from the last three proposal calls; (c) how many weeks was the call for proposals available for all organizations; (d) what are the criteria for funding in each of the last three proposal calls; and (e) what is the rationale for any changes that have been made in the program criteria over the last three proposal calls?
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns April 30th, 2010
With regard to violence against women and the Office of the Coordinator of the Status of Women, since 2006: (a) how many programs have been approved by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Coordinator of the Status of Women to address this issue; (b) how much has been allocated to those projects; (c) what are the priorities of each project approved; (d) how many programs have been denied funding; (e) what is the total funding that would have gone to denied programs; (f) what were the parameters of each project that had been denied; (g) what were the reasons given for each project's denial; (h) what initiatives have been introduced government-wide addressing violence against women; (i) what specific bills have been introduced that address violence against women; (j) what departmental initiatives have been introduced by the Office of the Coordinator of the Status of Women to combat violence against women; (k) what specific bills have been introduced by the Department; (l) what gender-based analysis has been done on all government initiatives addressing violence against women; (m) what gender-based analysis has been done on all government bills concerning violence against women; and (n) what gender-based analysis has been done on all bills put forward by the Department of Justice?
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns April 30th, 2010
With regard to the Treasury Board and the Department of Finance: (a) what process is in place for gender-based analysis on departmental policies in each department; (b) what measures are put in place to ensure gender-based analysis is done on legislation in each department; (c) if a policy or legislation does not achieve gender parity through a gender-based analysis, what measures, if any, are taken to ensure the policy or legislation is gender appropriate in each department; (d) what measures are taken to ensure gender parity in policies or legislation in each department; (e) are gender-based analyses on any policy or legislation conducted in each department and, if so, what is the content of those analyses; (f) how many staff are dedicated to do gender-based analysis in each department; (g) to whom do staff in (f) report in each department; and (h) what direction does each department give to staff on gender-based analysis?
Status of Women April 29th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, this is a government trying to export its own ideology to the world, flying in the face of 25 years of clear, consistent Canadian foreign policy.
However, it is doing it at home, too, by continuing the systematic hollowing out of women's rights and women's advocacy groups across Canada.
CRIAW, the Coalition for Pay Equity and the Womanspace Resource Centre were among those shocked to lose their funding; in some cases, after 25 years. This House should be gravely concerned.
Research and advocacy are no longer funded by Status of Women Canada, the court challenges program has been scrapped, and real pay equity has been denied. Now, reputable organizations are losing their funding.
In January the former minister of state for the status of women boldly stated that she had the final say on funding, regardless of the formal recommendations of her staff.
In a democratic society, project funding cannot be allocated on the whim of a minister. The Conservative government must end this culture of deceit.
Resignation of Member April 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I too rise today to pay tribute to my colleague, the hon. member for Winnipeg North, who has had a long and distinguished career of public service. The hon. member has always been a strong and feisty voice for Manitoba, first as an MLA, then as Manitoba minister for culture, heritage and recreation and, as of 1997, a member of Parliament.
She has been an effective voice for women, previously serving as the NDP critic for the status of women and, before her federal election in 1997, she played important roles as a coordinator of the women's directorate in the Manitoba government and as co-chair of Choices, Manitoba's social justice coalition.
In her current role as the NDP critic for health and persons with disabilities, the hon. member has been a vigorous defender of our public health care system. She has also pushed for reform of Canada's access to medicines regime so that lifesaving drugs are more readily available to developing countries.
The hon. member has also been a strong advocate for Israel and has stood alongside many other parliamentarians to denounce anti-Semitism. I had the honour of working with her to establish the Holocaust Remembrance Day on Parliament Hill in 2000 and, more recently, served with her on the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism. More recently, we travelled together to Poland with the friends of Simon Wiesenthal to visit the many sites preserving the physical remains of the Holocaust.
As she moves on to her next challenge, we know that she will continue to be a strong spokesperson for the community she serves. We wish her well, we wish her family well and we wish her bonne chance.
Lobbying April 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, why is the minister afraid of answering the questions? There is no better example of the culture of deceit than this.
Ministers rise each day and talk about accountability, and all the while they refuse to answer for the actions, refuse to admit mistakes and refuse to fix the problems they knowingly created.
There is a simple solution. Do what is right and close the loopholes. Why is the minister so afraid of doing that? Why the secrecy? Why the deceit?
Lobbying April 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport, the man who proclaimed a so-called new era of accountability, will not even answer simple questions in the House. Accountability is not simply words. It is how one acts, answering for these actions and fixing one's mistakes.
Since parliamentary secretaries do not fall under existing rules for lobbying, will the minister and his government fix this loophole immediately?
Lobbying April 27th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat. Who wrote it?
It was the Minister of Infrastructure who crafted the flawed Federal Accountability Act, but now he is abandoning the Prime Minister's election promise to require ministers and senior government officials to record their contacts with lobbyists.
He knew better than anyone that a loophole existed for parliamentary secretaries. He created it. The Conservatives' culture of deceit must end.
Will the government agree to seek unanimous approval of the House to submit PS's to the full discipline of the Lobbying Act?
Lobbying April 27th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, parliamentary secretaries are not covered by the same lobbying rules as ministers or their staff. The Prime Minister's guide for ministers says, “Only ministers are responsible for the direction of public servants and departmental resources”.
GPG's dragon power proposal was reviewed by the infrastructure minister's department. Will the minister tell us who wrote on that proposal, “From Rahim, submit to department”, because we know it should not have been written by the minister's PS.