Veterans Ombudsman’s report shows board is failing veterans

OTTAWA – Official Opposition Veterans Affairs Critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore) and Deputy Critic Sylvain Chicoine (Châteauguay-Saint-Constant) renewed their call today for the elimination of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) in response to yesterday’s report by Veterans Ombudsman Guy Parent.

“I congratulate the Veterans Ombudsman for his very thorough report,” said Stoffer. “He made it very clear, like Veterans Ombudsman Pat Stogran before him, that VRAB has been failing to give veterans the benefit of the doubt, not disclosing medical information used in its rulings, and are vague in their explanations to military and RCMP veterans. It is time for the federal government to eliminate the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.”

“The Ombudsman’s report is clearly saying that VRAB is failing military and RCMP veterans,” said Chicoine. “This Conservative government has taken no action on reforming the Veterans Review and Appeal Board as they promised to do.”

Stoffer noted that veterans and their families have been dissatisfied with VRAB for many years. It angers them to know that the members of VRAB are often appointed because of their political connections and have little military or medical experience.

“We want VAC to re-assume the responsibility for re-examining a veterans’ application for a disability pension,” said Stoffer. “ Front-line staff would decide on the merit of an application using peer-reviewed medical evidence, including reports from doctors and specialists.

“We call on this government to do the right thing and eliminate the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.”

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 Independent agency’s demands to improve transport safety have been ignored for too long

OTTAWA – The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) slammed the Conservatives for repeatedly ignoring the independent agency’s calls for improved safety regulations. NDP Transport Critic Olivia Chow welcomes the long-needed wake-up call for the Harper government to protect the safety of Canadians after years of Conservative inaction.

“In its annual review, the TSB noted that more than 80% of its aviation safety recommendations were not addressed by the Conservative government last year. That is completely unacceptable,” Chow charges. Instead of acting, the Conservatives decided to slash transport safety programs in the new budget.

Crucial demands to reduce airplane take-off and landing incidents and make approaches in adverse weather have not been acted upon. Likewise, a series of TSB recommendations to reduce fatalities from railway crossing accidents have essentially been ignored. The TSB experts also reiterated their call for voice recorders on locomotive cabs and the need for automatic safety backup systems – which the US is working on with Positive Train Control.

“The TSB is crystal clear that much more needs to be done for transport safety. This is something that affects all Canadians, but the Conservative cuts reveal that the priorities of the Harper government are completely skewed,” said Deputy Transport Critic Robert Aubin.

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A big thank-you to the many young people who stopped by our booth to make a craft using supplies from the Re-Use Centre. Our Earth Day tree was beautifully decorated by the end of the day!

Ms. Linda Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona, NDP)

 Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise and table a petition from Albertans calling on the House of Commons to eliminate poverty in Canada and support Bill C-233.

 The petitioners bring attention to the House that poverty affects over 10% of Canadians, and disproportionately affects aboriginal peoples, recent immigrants, people with disabilities, youth and children. They state that poverty leads to poor health, and that poverty and social exclusion constitute obstacles to protect and respecting human rights, and exclusion from economic social development.

 As I noted, the petitioners call on the House of Commons to support Bill C-233 which would require the federal government to develop and implement a strategy for poverty elimination in consultation with provincial, territorial, municipal and aboriginal governments, and with civil society.

 Canadians deserve rapid, affordable transit, not Conservative inaction

TORONTO – Following the Conservative budget that provides no leadership on transit, today the NDP reiterated their call for a National Public Transit Strategy. NDP Transport Critic Olivia Chow emphasized that across the country, Canadians are fed up with congestion and long commute times. A Twitter campaign is tapping into the frustration transit commuters and to call for federal action.

“The failure to provide federal funding shows that Conservatives are completely out-of-touch with regards to the transit challenges Canadians face every single day,” said Olivia Chow. “We are seeing a collective call to demand that the government address the transit needs of regions across the country, where public transportation is increasingly inadequate, inaccessible and unaffordable.”

The pressure on the Conservative government is increasing with the introduction of a social media campaign that encourages commuters to share their transit stories. Under the hash tags #GoodTransit, #BadTransit and #UglyTransit, Canadians can use Twitter to post comments and photos of what works, what doesn’t and what desperately needs improvement in their daily interaction with public transportation.

“Affordable, reliable transit is the right of every Canadian” adds Olivia, “Commuters have had enough of empty promises and delays, they deserve better. It’s time to take transit seriously to reshape one of the most fundamental services that Canadians rely on every day.”

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Nathan Cullen Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC: Mr. Speaker, the National Day of Mourning is a day to commemorate those injured and killed in the workplace.

anadians know that far too many accidents on job sites are not accidents at all, but are entirely preventable.

Just in the past year, B.C. has witnessed tragedy at two separate sawmills. There was one in January in Burns Lake, which killed two and injured 19. Just this past week in Prince George in disturbingly similar circumstances, two more workers were killed and 22 were injured.

Don Dahr, my father-in-law, lost his father in the workplace when he was very young. He has dedicated much of his life to protecting workers in the workplace. He has often said that the rules and regulations that protect Canadians at work are written in blood.

When workers leave their homes and families to go to work, we must commit to them that we will do everything in our power to make sure that they return home safe at the end of the day.

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Wayne Marston Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON:  Mr. Speaker, if people were to travel to our community of Hamilton, Ontario and go to the corner of Main and Bay Streets, they would see a very stark monument.

It was made from a sheet of steel and has on it a visibly injured worker clinging by his fingers. This is a monument to workers injured or killed on the job or those suffering from occupational disease. It was erected on April 28, 1990.

The purpose of the monument’s casting was not only to commemorate the loss of workers’ lives but to remind us all of the risks taken by workers each and every day when they go to work.

Every day workers go to work expecting to return home to their families, but all too often they do not. In this modern age rush for productivity, mistakes are made and workers trying to meet the new realities of the modern workplace often pay the ultimate price.

April 28 is not just a day for workers to stop and remember those who are dead, but also for all of us to recommit to fight for safer workplaces for all Canadians.

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Prime Minister must stop his members from re-opening closed debate

OTTAWA – The NDP Women’s Caucus is condemning the underhanded way in which Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are trying to reopen the abortion debate.

A motion tabled by a Conservative backbencher on expanding the legal definition of human beings will be voted on today in Parliament.

“It’s the height of hypocrisy. Stephen Harper swears he doesn’t want to reopen the debate, but then he lets his members table motions like this one. No question: this motion seeks to reopen the abortion debate, and that’s completely unacceptable,” said Niki Ashton, NDP Status of Women Critic.

New Democrats have always fought for gender equality and defended women’s freedom of choice on abortion. Today, the NDP caucus underlined its commitment to protect women’s rights and stand up to the Conservatives’ hypocrisy.

“Women fought to secure their right to choose, and that right needs to be respected. Instead of hiding behind backbencher MPs to reopen a debate no one wants, the Prime Minister should say loud and clear that women have the right to choose,” said Women’s Caucus President Djaouida Sellah.

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Physical violence against Ms. Tymoshenko is absolutely unacceptable. The mistreatment must end, the perpetrators must be held accountable and the authorities must provide full medical attention to Ms. Tymoshenko. We call on the Ukrainian government to negotiate with Ms. Tymoshenko for a resolution to her hunger strike before her health is further compromised.

Canadians stood in solidarity with the democratic aspirations of the Ukrainian people as the Orange Revolution of 2004 unfolded. We continue to support the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian people and call on the government of Ukraine to avoid the politicization of the judicial system, end the mistreatment of prisoners, and ensure the legitimacy of the upcoming elections with full participation by all political parties.

The Government of Canada must communicate its concerns to Ukrainian officials in no uncertain terms. Canada must join the global call for the government of Ukraine to safeguard the principles of fairness, transparency and independence in judicial processes. Canada must strongly request that Yulia Tymoshenko’s constitutional rights are fully respected.

Finally, the government must be clear that negotiations for a Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement cannot be advanced so long as the Ukrainian government refuses to guarantee the protection of human rights, rule of law and democracy in the country.

OTTAWA – Linda Duncan, Member of Parliament for Edmonton – Strathcona and New Democrat Critic for Public Works and Government Services today marked the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine.

“The Chernobyl nuclear explosion in 1986 impacted the lives of millions in Ukraine, as well as in Belarus and the Russian Federation.” said Duncan. “The devastating environmental consequences of radioactive contamination, the health impacts – particularly childhood thyroid cancer, and the socio-economic cost are all tragic results of a tragic and preventable accident.”

“Canada and the global community must be guided by the memory of the tragic Chernobyl disaster to take all necessary action to ensure that such a catastrophe never occurs again.”

“As a Director of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group, I stand together with my constituents, my colleagues in the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group, and my New Democrat colleagues in commemoration of this disaster, in remembrance of the victims, and in solidarity to take all necessary action prevent any such disaster from occurring in the future.”

Linda Duncan will be traveling to Ukraine this coming May with the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development and will visit Kyiv, Lviv, and Kharkiv.

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 Programs cut by up to 100%

EDMONTON – Linda Duncan, Member of Parliament for Edmonton – Strathcona and New Democrat Critic for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development has expressed outrage at the Harper government decision to strike yet another low blow to long standing health programs for First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

All funds are immediately cut to the Health Department of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) who for 30 years have provided targeted health program for Aboriginal women. Also cut are health programs led by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, and by the Assembly of First Nations and the Inuit Tapirisat.

These cuts are announced just days after withdrawal of all federal support to the National Aboriginal Health Organization and the First Nations Statistical institute. These organizations were disbanded despite the best efforts by First Nation, Metis and Inuit leadership to work cooperatively to seek viable solutions to continue the important work.

According to Duncan, “In the same breath that the government committed to pursuing partnerships with Aboriginal peoples towards a more respectful relationship, they cut support to the very organizations who could deliver the programs to address critical health needs. The government has killed the very organizations that could have provided the expertise and coordination capacity to engage Aboriginal peoples in consultations on the next Health Accord.”

“Aboriginal communities will be forced to add to the demands on already strained budgets – education, housing, safe drinking water – addressing critical health issues. Aboriginal peoples face lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality rates, a six fold higher suicide rate, higher rates of diabetes and heart attack, 16 times higher rate of Tuberculosis than other Canadians.”

Duncan is calling on the government to reverse these cuts on the backsides of our most vulnerable communities.

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