SUPPORT DENISE AND THE NDP'S PUSH FOR A NATIONAL TRANSIT STRATEGY

denisesavoie400 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:21:00 +0000

Canada is the only OECD country that lacks a National Transit Strategy that would support municipalities and regions like the CRD to provide the kind of improved transit infrastructure and services that would have significant environmental, economic, and social benefits to our communities. Please support my efforts to make a National Transit Strategy a reality by circulating this petition and sending it to my office.

NATURAL RESOURCES CUTS BAD FOR ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT

denisesavoie400 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:52:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 26, 2011

Harper Conservatives allow Canada to fall behind on clean energy investments

OTTAWA - New Democrats are condemning the Harper Conservatives for slashing environment-friendly programs and jobs at Natural Resources Canada.

“It seems government officials got a memo to slash anything clean or green – or that even has the word, ‘eco’ in it,” said NDP Natural Resources critic Claude Gravelle, reacting to news of new cuts at the department.

In addition to cutting the hugely popular ecoENERGY Retrofit program, the department is cutting back on the Clean Air Agenda, ecoTRANSPORT Strategy, Canada’s Forest Sector Initiative, as well as cutting grants to Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

“Its utter nonsense for the government to pretend these cuts won’t adversely affect public services or the environment. It’s night and day to compare Stephen Harper’s inaction against what President Obama is doing. While our government stands idly by, Americans are talking about developing renewable energy that’s cleaner, cheaper and creates jobs.”

In his State of the Union address Tuesday, Obama said federal investments had helped double reserves of renewable energy, creating thousands of jobs.

“Energy efficiency initiatives are crucial for both Canada’s environment and its economy,” said Anne Marie Day (Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles), a member of the Natural Resources Committee. “Federal support for home energy efficiency retrofits makes good economic and environmental sense. It can help curb energy consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create local jobs while providing Canadians with permanent savings on their home energy bills.”

All welcome!

denisesavoie400 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

STEPHEN HARPER MUST COME BACK TO THE BARGAINING TABLE: NDP

denisesavoie400 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:12:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 17, 2012

New federal healthcare funding formula needs to be negotiated with provinces in good faith

VICTORIA – New Democrats are demanding that Stephen Harper come back to the bargaining table and work with Canada’s first ministers to come up with a health care agreement that ensures adequate health care for Canadians.

“Canada’s premiers are united in their disapproval of the current Harper formula,” said New Democrat Health Critic Libby Davies. "This hands-off approach doesn't work for the provinces and it won’t work for Canadians. Mr. Harper needs to show some leadership and come back to the table. Canadians have been clear – they want better healthcare. So why is our own Prime Minister stepping away from his responsibilities?”

At a time when the differences between provincial health care systems in Canada is growing, federal leadership is required now more than ever to ensure Canadians have access to high quality health care across the country.

"With no leadership from Stephen Harper, we risk having 13 different healthcare systems in the country, which risks the very foundation of Medicare" added NDP Deputy Health Critic Anne Minh-Thu Quach. "It's time our federal government honours its commitments spelled out in the 2003-2004 Health Accords and in the Canada Health Act. New Democrats will continue to press the federal government to get back to the table and negotiate with the provinces in good faith.”

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For more information, please contact:

Jesse Brady, 613-720-6400 or [email protected]">[email protected]

HARPER FAILS TO SHOW LEADERSHIP ON HEALTH CARE

denisesavoie400 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:16:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 15, 2012

HARPER FAILS TO SHOW LEADERSHIP ON HEALTH CARE Conservatives should act now, honour 2004 Health Accord commitments: NDP

VICTORIA – As premiers gather in Victoria for health care talks, New Democrats today blasted Stephen Harper’s failed leadership on health care, pointing out how the government’s inaction on implementing the much needed reforms included in the current health care accords has hurt the frontline services Canadian families rely on.

“Conservatives talk about being committed to health funding, but then went and announced cuts to health funding. You can’t trust Conservatives to stand up for public health care,” said New Democrat Health critic Libby Davies (Vancouver East). “After investing over $160 billion in health care, many of the reforms included in the 2003-2004 health accords have seen little or even no improvement under Stephen Harper’s leadership.”

Davies was speaking to a New Democrat organized roundtable on Health Care that brought together leading experts to discuss what can be achieved now, under the current Health Accords. Davies pointed out that despite agreement between the federal and provincial governments to save billions through developing a National Pharmaceutical Strategy, Conservatives have failed to act.

“Canadians have a hard time knowing if they are actually getting value for money when it comes to health care because not many of the accountability tools called for in the Accords were ever developed,” said New Democrat Deputy Health critic Anne Minh-Thu Quach (Beauharnois-Salaberry). “In fact, the Advisory Committee on Governance and Accountability was supposed to help governments be accountable to the public – but now it doesn’t even exist anymore.”

New Democrats have long called for Ottawa to take a leadership role and to work with the provinces to hire more doctors and nurses, reduce wait times, make prescription drugs more affordable and ensure Canadians can access better home care.