I was very saddened to hear that we lost Dorothy Chambers. Dorothy was a well-known and well-loved resident in Thunder Bay, and was best known as a proud veteran and advocate for men and women serving our country in uniform, past and present. With this being Remembrance Week in Canada, […]
John Rafferty – From The House
Last week was an eventful one in Ottawa, but not all of our business there had to do with the Senate. While the Senate circus continues with new revelations each day, there actually is work getting done behind the scenes. A good example was the passage of an NDP motion […]
If the prime minister was hoping that his prorogation and subsequent 17-week summer break would put the Senate scandal on the backburner when Parliament returned, he was spectacularly wrong. It is increasingly obvious that Mr. Harper really has no one left to blame but himself for all of this. He […]
Prime minister Stephen Harper went to the Senate last week to give a speech. He could have taken the opportunity to apologize to Canadians for the many frauds that have been perpetrated upon them by his Senate appointees, but no. Instead, it was an hour-long trip into Mr. Harper’s parallel […]
This past week, the people of Nova Scotia cast a ballot and the New Democrat government of Darrell Dexter was defeated. While the electoral result is hardly something to brag about, I think there’s a lot for Mr. Dexter and the Nova Scotia NDP to be proud about after their […]
It was a very bad week for Canada’s veterans. So bad was it that my friend and colleague Peter Stoffer, the MP for Sackville Eastern Shore and NDP Veterans Affairs critic, called it “one of the worst weeks for veterans and their families ever.” The first blow for veterans came […]
This past week, I was happy to accept two new responsibilities in Ottawa. Following the New Democrat caucus retreat last week, I was asked by NDP leader Tom Mulcair to serve as our critic for forestry and to sit as a member of the Veterans Affairs committee. It has been […]
Since the beginning of the summer break in Parliament, there have been some important developments on the Senate scandal which keeps going and growing, so here is a bit of an update. Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a beating about the Senate scandal in Question Period in the lead-up to […]
For many Canadians, Labour Day acts as a significant marker during the year—the end of the summer, the beginning of a school year, and a long weekend to boot. However, it also should be seen as a day of celebration of workers’ rights that most of us take for granted […]
Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper once demonstrated he simply lacks the courage required to be accountable to the Canadian public. Rather than face tough questions on the Senate spending scandal, Mr. Harper instead has indicated he’ll be asking the Governor General to prorogue (suspend) Parliament for an additional four-six […]
Some startling details emerged last week into the ongoing Senate expense scandal—and the findings could spell trouble for Sen. Pamela Wallin and the Conservative government of Stephen Harper. Back in the 2011 campaign, the NDP raised red flags about Conservative and Liberal senators campaigning on the public dime. We asked […]
Credit unions are not your typical financial institution. They are democratic, membership-based, and not-for-profit financial institutions that are an important part of northern and rural communities. Unfortunately, the Harper Conservatives have chosen to raise the income tax for credit unions and ultimately will punish their members. Credit unions are financial […]
