Upon the completion of the Commission of Inquiry (Click to view reports) into the collapse of the Algo Mall I would like to join many others who are offering their thanks and gratitude to Commissioner Bélanger and the members of his team who have worked so hard to present a thorough report. I [Read more]
Most people don’t have the time or desire to watch question period and given the way it has been going recently that probably isn’t such a bad thing. It is largely understood that most Canadians take a dim view of the confrontational nature of parliament, but events this week went far beyond [Read more]
OTTAWA, ON – New Democrats have ramped up pressure in House of Commons for the government to call an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, says Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP, Carol Hughes. New Democrats took control of the House agenda on Friday forcing a debate and a vote on the [Read more]
Parliament held an emergency debate on Canada’s response to the situation in Iraq this week. The fact that it was an emergency debate and not a government-led one spoke volumes about the Prime Minister’s go-it-alone approach on this issue. That was hammered home when Thomas Mulcair was the [Read more]
When the body of Tina Fontaine was pulled from the Winnipeg River late last month it re-ignited a fierce debate about Canada’s response to the inordinate number of missing and murdered aboriginal women over the last 3 decades. This is an issue that shows how far off-track Stephen Harper can be [Read more]
Labour Day marks more than the winding down of summer or the last long weekend before the kids head back to school. It is also a focal point for the important and difficult battles that were waged for labour rights that help define who we are as a country. While we have much to celebrate [Read more]
People who had been denied federal disability benefits were thrown a curve ball as new rules have stripped them of their right to have an appeal in person. Where in the past individuals were able to meet face to face with an adjudicator, they will no longer be legally entitled to this method of [Read more]
Somewhere along the line Canada has slipped into the plot of a George Orwell novel and it is becoming more difficult to fight back. People will be less inclined to attend peaceful protests if they are guaranteed to be placed on a list of suspects by the government. The new legislation aimed at [Read more]
Parliament saw welcome moments of agreement this week which amounts to good news for Canadians as we passed a New Democrat motion on a pan-Canadian palliative and end-of-life care strategy and got down to work on a government bill for drug safety. The motion should jump-start the government [Read more]
A lot of attention is paid to the salaries and bonuses of Canada’s wealthiest CEOs since they differ so dramatically from the take-home pay for most everyone else that it is always shocking. A recent study from Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) explains that the problem of [Read more]
‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’ may not be a historically accurate phrase, but it describes being occupied with unimportant matters while faced with a more urgent crisis. That is pretty much what is happening with Stephen Harper who leads a government that has clearly demonstrated their [Read more]
It was a noteworthy week in Canadian politics despite the fact that it was a constituency week for MPs. What made it interesting were announcements that Olivia Chow and Jim Flaherty are stepping down to pursue other options. We know that Olivia is leaving to run for Mayor of Toronto, while Mr. [Read more]
Accountability is best assured by dismissing scrutiny. That is the message the Harper government inadvertently makes every time they rush legislation through the House of Commons. How else can they justify their incredible run of closure used on debate? The sad fact is the Conservatives set a [Read more]
People familiar with last year’s battle to maintain ferry service between Manitoulin Island and Tobermory will find similarities with the plight of businesses, communities, and property owners set to lose passenger rail service from the Algoma Central Railway (ACR). On Manitoulin, the [Read more]
ELLIOT LAKE, ON – People struggling just to keep up need to know their government has their back, and that just isn’t happening according to Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, MP Carol Hughes. Hughes was commenting on NDP Leader Tom Mulcair’s Affordability Tour which stopped in Sault Ste. Marie [Read more]
