This week, I’d like to provide some information about the work I’ve been doing on the pension file, as well as an update on our economy that was presented by the Bank of Canada. Prior to the Easter Break, I tabled the second of a series of pension motions which […]
John Rafferty – From The House
This past week, I was proud to help release details of a campaign commitment by Canada’s New Democrats to work with the provinces to create one million new child-care spaces and to limit the cost of these new spaces to $15 per day per child for parents. I was happy […]
Last week proved that Finance minister Joe Oliver is living in an alternate universe when it comes to fiscal management and taxation. For as long as Joe Oliver has been an MP, he has been a die-hard partisan who has never let facts get in the way of his crazy […]
Last week was another busy one in Ottawa with an update into the Senate scandal audits, a new budget date and the first spending announcement from it, and the tabling of a second motion of mine on the pension file. The big news come via an update from the Auditor […]
They say truth is the first casualty of war, but our new defence minister seems to think making this expression a reality is somehow part of his job description. In his first three months on the job, Jason Kenney has been caught three times intentionally spreading disinformation. To commemorate International […]
They call it a “break week” for Parliament but they really shouldn’t. Last week, I was back in our constituency and beyond to work on the “Ring of Fire,” study a new report on the expensive and wasteful Conservative income-splitting proposal, and to start my consultations on the pension file. […]
This week was another busy one in Ottawa with forestry hearings, work on the pension file, and the Conservatives working hard to stoke fear among Canadians to promote their unnecessary and intrusive Bill C-51 at committee. This past week at the Natural Resources committee, the forestry hearings continued. And with […]
Last week, I travelled with NDP leader Tom Mulcair and several other NDP MPs to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s annual convention in Toronto. It was a great event, where we spoke with a variety of companies and groups, as well as promoted our plan for the mining […]
Last week was a busy one in Ottawa as New Democrats continued our work to ensure better scrutiny and oversight of the government’s controversial anti-terror legislation while the forestry hearings continued at the Natural Resources committee. We seem to be at a turning point in the debate about the Conservatives […]
In spite of its enormous but rapidly-shrinking contribution to the Canadian economy, the forestry sector never has been a priority for this government or the Ottawa crowd in general. With that being said, I’m happy to report that the Natural Resources Committee of the House of Commons has committed to […]
Two weeks ago, I was very humbled and honoured to have been appointed the NDP critic for pensions by our leader, Tom Mulcair. It is a heavy responsibility and one that dovetails with the local concerns of many constituents in Thunder Bay-Rainy River. The starting point for my work as […]
Last week’s column was not exactly uplifting and cheery, but I think it was an accurate assessment of what Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have done to destabilize our national economy. With that being said, all is not lost. This week, I would like to share some thoughts on what our federal […]
