This is my first column of 2015, so please accept my best wishes for you and yours this New Year. Unfortunately, 2015 will be a difficult one for millions of Canadians as our economy suddenly is on the brink of a severe economic downturn due to the risky and irresponsible […]
John Rafferty – From The House
This week’s column will be my last one for 2014, so it seems only fitting to provide a recap of the some of the main stories and issues of the year. •Veterans’ office closure On Friday, Jan. 31, the Veterans’ Affairs office in Thunder Bay fell victim to the Harper […]
A few weeks back, my staff and I uncovered a huge amount of what is known as “lapsed” spending—money approved in the federal budget but never spent—at Veterans’ Affairs Canada. Sadly, this past week we also found the same thing is happening at FedNor—and at the worst possible time. Aside […]
This past week, Auditor General Michael Ferguson released his fall report and found that the Harper Conservatives are failing a number of Canadians, including veterans and people who are living in remote and northern Canada. Even worse was the Conservative government’s response. In his study of certain programs delivered to […]
It was quite the eventful week in Ottawa. From another major scandal emerging in the Veterans Affairs department to the virtual collapse of the “Ring of Fire” mining project, it was one for the books. The major scandal surrounding spending—actually lack of spending—at Veterans Affairs Canada is yet another example […]
This past Tuesday was Remembrance Day. It was a day Canadians remembered and reflected upon the selfless service and sacrifices of our veterans, active military personnel, and their families. By the end of the week however it was more obvious to me than ever that these men and women have […]
This is the week that Remembrance Day falls, and needless to say it will have more meaning this year than others for many people. We all are grateful for the service and sacrifices of our armed forces, security, and police services. They physically protect us and our institutions, and devote […]
This past week, Hallowe’en week no less, the Conservatives tabled a new monster 479-page omnibus budget bill. While it contains a few treats, the bill also is chock full of the same old tired tricks. It’s hard to complain that every single page of every single bill tabled by this […]
I write this week’s column with great sadness. Our country has suffered a tragedy and a great loss. Let us remember two heroes this week for their selfless sacrifice in the name of our country, our people, and our values. As I’m sure you are aware, there was an attack […]
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, the Harper Conservative government plunged Canada into a war in Iraq. New Democrats oppose this misguided mission for a number of important reasons. The prime minister tabled a motion, which passed with the support of his Conservative caucus, that laid out the case for war and provided the […]
Last week in Ottawa, New Democrats tried to fix question period but were prevented from doing so by the Conservatives. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, meanwhile, garnered more media attention with the first case being brought to North America. You may not have seen or heard of the incident […]
