NDP Sports Critic Matthew Dubé’s statement on lifting the quebec soccer federation's ban

NDP Sports Critic Matthew Dubé’s statement on lifting the quebec soccer federation's ban

On behalf of all New Democrats, I welcome the Quebec Soccer Federation’s decision to repeal its ban on Sikh religious headgear.

On April 25 2013, members of the New Democratic caucus wrote to FIFA urging a clarification, so that children could return to the soccer fields. Today, that clarification was provided.
 Leader of the Official Opposition Tom Mulcair was the only leader to reach out directly to both the Quebec federation and its Canadian counterpart, in order to facilitate a resolution. As he stated, sports should be about including people from all different walks of life, not excluding them.
 As adults, it falls upon us to find a peaceful solution, otherwise it’s the kids who pay the price. And perhaps we can learn a thing or two from them. After all, it was under-14 FC Brossard players who, in solidarity, sported turbans on the field last weekend.
 To be sure, the safety of our children is paramount. But when, as we have stated all along, no such safety issue exists – as was the case here – we as adults need to do the right thing and just let our kids play.
 As summer is underway and new friendships and bonds are built, I look forward to seeing Sikh children return to the soccer fields to play the beautiful game with their peers.

NDP calls for study on impacts of EI overhaul

NDP calls for study on impacts of EI overhaul

OTTAWA – With support from more than a hundred municipalities, associations and organizations, New Democrats have tabled a motion at the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) to study the impacts of the Conservatives’ radical changes to Employment Insurance.
“We are urging the committee to launch this study as soon as possible. Workers from across Canada have been contacting us to share their concerns, and we expect this to continue as long as the Conservatives press forward with these punitive and unjust EI reforms,” said François Lapointe (Montmagny–L’Islet–Kamouraska–Rivière-du-Loup), HUMA committee member and NDP critic for Small Business and Tourism.

Groups supporting the New Democrat motion include numerous municipalities in Conservative ridings, the Canadian Freelance Union, the Quebec Employers Council, the Quebec Forestry Producers Federation, the Quebec Tourism Industry Association and the Union des producteurs agricoles. 
“This is the third time we’ve called for this type of study. This time we hope the Conservative committee members will finally support our motion. We won’t give up until a formal study is undertaken. Because these reforms will have disproportional effects on seasonal workers and industries, it is imperative that we examine them more closely,” added Human Resources and Skills Development critic Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain).
“Within the context of the committee, we can hear from witnesses who support the Conservatives’ EI reforms as well as witnesses who are opposed, in order to explore the actual effects on workers and communities. Why is it so difficult to do this simple thing? What are the Conservatives afraid of?” said Lapointe.

Conservatives must not undermine international efforts to combat violence against women

Conservatives must not undermine international efforts to combat violence against women

OTTAWA - In a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Opposition Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) and Status of Women critic Niki Ashton (Churchill) cautioned the Conservatives against playing a spoiler role on this important issue at the 23rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

A recent media release from Action Canada on Population and Development stated that at the UN meetings in Geneva, Conservatives have been seeking to renege on previously-agreed upon policy measures to take action on violence against women.
"We would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of a comprehensive package of services that should be available to survivors of sexual violence," wrote the Opposition critics. "Blocking recommendations such as access to sexual and reproductive health services, access to emergency contraception, access to safe abortion, access to post-exposure medicine for HIV infection, and diagnosis and treatment for STIs would be a grave mistake."
The full text of the letter is attached.

• Download: june_11_2013_-_letter_to_minister_baird_re_23rd_session_of_the_un_hrc.pdf

Finance minister must honour commitment to improve retirement security: NDP

Finance minister must honour commitment to improve retirement security: NDP

OTTAWA – NDP Pension Critic Irene Mathyssen (London – Fanshawe) called on the finance minister to honour his commitment to work with the provinces to increase retirement security for Canadians. The finance minister has yet to honour his six-month-old promise to work with the provinces to increase the Canada Pension Plan / Quebec Pension Plan.

“In December the finance minister promised Canadians that he would meet with his provincial counterparts by June 2013,” said Mathyssen. “June is almost over and there’s no sign of a provincial finance ministers meeting anytime soon. I have asked the minister in the House several times when the meeting will be scheduled and he has refused to answer.”
More and more Canadians are heading into retirement without enough savings. There is a growing consensus that a phased increased in the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) is the most practical and effective way to boost the retirement security of Canadians. As even the government’s own data shows, a modest increase in CPP premiums could finance a substantial increase in benefits.
“Canadians depend on the CPP/QPP for retirement security,” said Mathyssen. “The government’s failure to show leadership on this extremely important issue shows the Conservatives don’t take the retirement security of Canadians seriously.”

Baird must press Russia to reject homophobic law

Baird must press Russia to reject homophobic law

NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) and LGBT Critic Randall Garrison (Esquimalt – Juan de Fuca) are calling on the minister of foreign affairs to urge Russian leaders to prevent passage of a law establishing criminal penalties for both Russians and foreign visitors engaging in so-called ‘homosexual propaganda’.

 “Passage of this law would be a clear violation of Russia's international obligations to protect freedom of speech and association for all Russians as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to protect minorities as a member of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe,” Dewar said. “Adopting this law is likely to promote increased discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Russians.”
 “Creating criminal penalties including heavy fines and possible imprisonment for the vague offense of promoting non-traditional sexual practices through the media or in public violates international human rights norms,” Garrison said. “It will also endanger Russia's tourism industry and Russia's ability to host international events, including the upcoming Olympics.”
 Dewar and Garrison call on Minister Baird to urge Russia's upper house to defeat the proposed ‘homosexual propaganda’ law, and urge President Putin to refuse to sign the law.

Conservatives fail to act on First Nations child poverty

Conservatives fail to act on First Nations child poverty

OTTAWA – New Democrats are condemning the Conservative failure to reduce poverty rates among First Nations children in the wake of a newly released report showing that half of status First Nations children in Canada live in poverty.
“Today’s report highlights the Conservatives’ utter failure to act,” said New Democrat Aboriginal Affairs Critic Jean Crowder (Nanaimo--Cowichan). “Every child deserves an equal chance – but under this government, First Nation kids are left behind.”
According to the report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canada ranks 25^th among the 30 OECD countries in child poverty. Despite persistent calls from the NDP, the Conservative government has yet to remove the 2% funding cap on essential social services.
“We just marked the fifth anniversary of the official apology for residential schools—in which the government acknowledged the harm done to children and their families,” said NDP deputy critic for Aboriginal Affairs, Jonathan Genest-Jourdain (Manicouagan). “It is distressing to see that aboriginal youth are still not a priority for the Conservatives.”

New Democrats slam wrong-headed cuts to Veterans Affairs

New Democrats slam wrong-headed cuts to Veterans Affairs

OTTAWA – NDP Veterans Affairs critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore) slammed the Conservatives’ reckless decision to eliminate over 800 jobs over the next three years at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It is disingenuous and irresponsible for the Conservatives to cut that many jobs then pretend that it won’t have a negative impact on the very people this department is meant to help,” said Stoffer. “You simply cannot maintain the same standard of care, or programs and services, with fewer staff.”
Stoffer warned last year that Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) will see a 45 percent staff reduction with these cuts, which will directly compromise their capacity to meet veterans’ needs. Further, an additional 1,295 VAC employees will soon be notified that they are no longer federal employees as the last remaining federally run veterans’ hospital (Saint-Anne-de Bellevue Hospital) is about to be transferred to the province of Quebec. 
“Canada’s veterans dedicated their lives to serving this country and the least we can do is support them when they return home,” said deputy Veterans Affairs critic Sylvain Chicoine (Châteauguay–Saint-Constant). “Cutting services to these men and women when they need it most is just wrong.”

Conservatives' disastrous trade record:

Conservatives' disastrous trade record:

  Canada's trade balance has gone from a surplus of $18 billion in 2006 to a deficit today of $67 billion;

- In 2011, Canada had a merchandise trade surplus of $900 million. In 2012, we have a merchandise trade deficit of $12 billion;

- In a study of 18 countries, Canada ranked LAST in terms of current account performance.

On objective and comparative criteria, the Conservatives are simply ruining Canada's trade performance...

 My name is David Murray and I am currently on City Council in the City of Pitt Meadows British Columbia.
I ran Federally for the New Democratic Party in 2011 in Abbotsford and with the great team we had in place had the distinction of being the only riding in Western Canada that doubled our NDP vote!
I am the Editor of the Pitt Meadows Today Community Online Newspaper which together with its sister papers the Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Langley Today are receiving 250,000 hits a month!
http://www.pittmeadowstoday.ca/


My family goes back to the CCF-NDP party circa October 1935 as my father "Bud" Murray worked on Tommy Douglas's first campaign!


I am a union activist for CUPE and sit as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fraser Valley District Council and am on the executive board of the Fraser Valley Labour Council (CLC)

Obstacles Of Youth Don’t Get Sarah Harman Down

By David Murray on March 13, 2013

By David Murray. Last week I went door knocking with BC NDP Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge candidate Elizabeth Roseneau. During our experience we came upon a young women by the name of Sarah Harman.
She was willing to share her story at the doorstep with Elizabeth and myself. I asked her if she would be willing to do an interview for Pitt Meadows Today.
I met with Sarah today and this is what she had to say.
David Murray: Where did you grow up Sarah and what high school did you attend?
Sarah Harman: I was born in Burnaby but pretty much grew up in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge. I went to Pitt Meadows Secondary until grade 9 and then to Thomas Haney. I didn’t like the work at your own pace schooling so I went on to Samuel Robertson Tech.
DM: I heard that they have a hair school at SRT?
SH: Yes, I started the program there and really enjoyed it. I had finished all my exams and was just working on my practicum . I wound up getting pregnant in grade 11 and had to leave the program because I didn’t want to have the chemicals that are part of the school program effecting my baby in any way.
DM: It seemed that you were very passionate about hair , this must have been disappointing somewhat?
SH: It was but I always knew I was going to go back to it.
DM: When did you decide to go back to school?
SH: It was a couple years ago.
DM: What school did you attend?
SH: I went to Utopia in Abbotsford.
DM: What kind of things did you learn there?
SH: Besides hair styling, I learned skin care and make up as well.
DM: Hair school can be very expensive?
SH: Yes, it cost me $14,000 for the school and living expenses on top of that.
DM: Did you have to get a student loan for the program?
SH: Yes, I applied to the provincial government program for the student loan for tuition and living expenses. At the end of the day it was around $23,000.
DM: Wow, that is a lot of money for a 10 month program.
SH: It was very challenging. I had my son who was three and my daughter who was around a year old when I started. I took my kids to an Abbotsford day care with me because if I had kept them in Pitt Meadows it would have added a lot of extra costs to my budget .
DM: Have you got any support from the father at this point?
SH: No, he has been off doing his “own thing”.
DM: Have you ever received child support?
SH: No. I have never received any financial support from him.
SH: I would have to be up at 5 am to get the kids up and then home late , cook dinner and then get the kids to bed and then off to do it again the next day.
DM: You have been doing some modeling right now ?
SH: Yes, I do it maybe once a month currently, Sarah Beth at Facebook is my site.
DM: You also are working at the Cutting Room Hair Salon in Pitt Meadows?
SH: I have been working there for six months now. I work for a fantastic mentor and owner by the name of Teresa!

DM: You live in B.C. Housing?
SH: I currently do, this was a very interesting process. I had one child and was 8 months pregnant with my second but they made it very difficult for me because when I applied they said I had to have two children to be eligible. Thankfully I was able to convince the case worker that I was due any day and I was able to secure the housing.
DM: Do you think that the current provincial government has helped you as a young person trying to take the initiative to work rather than stay at home on welfare with your kids?
SH: No, I think they have made it a lot more difficult. The second you get a student loan you are no longer eligible for any kind of income assistance, they take away your medical and dental as well. Very little incentive to improve yourself. Especially when the job, like mine starts at pretty much minimum wage (It grows as your client base gets bigger) I am one of the lucky ones, in many cases after spending a lot of money there is no job for the young person after sacrificing so much time, money and energy. That is why it is hard to break that welfare cycle.
DM: It is so nice to see a young person like yourself trying so hard to make a difference for yourself and your kids!
SH: I think it is so important to be able to provide the kind of education and training for your children so they can go on to live full productive lives in society.
DM: You seem very politically astute. Do you think you may explore a career in politics as well?
SH: I like education, trying to help kids improve their lives, perhaps working as a school trustee in the Pitt Meadows district.
DM: I think you would make an awesome school trustee! We need to get more young people like yourselves involved in politics!
DM: In closing Sarah, do you have any words of wisdom you would like to pass on to our Today readers?
SH: Thank you for the opportunity.

By Sarah Harman – “I always think that the truth is always going to be there. No matter what other people do. If they are not honest and truthful , you really have nothing. At the end of the day the truth is always going to win out! So you might as well be an honourable and truthful person. That way you’ll succeed in life doing the right thing! It is way better than lying and cheating your way to the top. You are building yourself up in a positive way! Where nobody can look at you as anything but a positive experience”

Provincial Politics: Bob Douglas And The NDP

By Editor on September 10, 2011

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By David Murray. This being the 50th anniversary of the NDP in British Columbia, what better time would it be than to write a story about Mr. Robert ‘Bob’ Douglas. [Click On Image For Full Story]
Bob was born in Empress Alberta in 1927 and has been a member of the CCF-NDP since 1941. He grew up on the prairies and actually had a chance to hear Tommy Douglas speak at a very young age. This left a lasting impression on him, and saw him become a life-long political activist for marginalized, disenfranchised and working people throughout our country.
Growing up during the depression, Bob saw first-hand how things were not supposed to be done by a government. He saw ‘Iron Heel’ Bennett’s government get thrown out of power after the

Longtime NDP stalwart Bob Douglas at Bradner Flower Show

Regina Riot lead to bloodshed because of the meddling of the disingenuous Conservative government of that era. Bob came to British Columbia in 1956. He got a job with the BC Power Commission. It was not long after that, he got involved with local politics on the Island.
Just after 1962, Premier W.A.C. Bennett took over BC Electric and they amalgamated with the BC Power Commission to form BC Hydro. This brought Bob an opportunity to live and work in Vancouver. He lived on Davie Street and Nicola Street in the downtown area.
The BC NDP was just getting started in the province in 1962. They had just gone through the name change going from the CCF to the NDP.

Bob Douglas driving candidate David Murray in the Bradner Parade

Funds were hard to come by at that time for the party and, recognizing this, Bob rented a building, lived upstairs and gave the bottom half to the party so they could have an office. Good things happen when you have a big heart and as luck would have it Bob, met his future life partner Sarah, who worked for the party downstairs in the office as they enjoyed a long-time relationship which saw them both eventually move to Aldergrove where Mr.Douglas currently lives on his farm.
Bob ran for City Council in Vancouver in 1968 and 1972 and despite never having held a position on council, was a great advocate for social democracy in Vancouver during that era.
Holding the position of Treasurer for the Provincial NDP for many years in the 1960′s and 70′s. Bob was always the social conscience of the board.
He saw many candidates come and go via the NDP in his day and that is why I was so proud to have met him and have him support me as a candidate in Abbotsford in the last Federal election.
Bob was thrilled to have a private session with Jack Layton last February when he came to Vancouver. Jack had the Abbotsford group including Bob, meet in a private room with him and Olivia. This meant a lot to Bob as he and Jack clearly shared a common bond.
Mr. Robert “Bob” Douglas was certainly proud of the fight the Abbotsford NDP put up in the last Federal election.
Being part of our sign crew, and despite being 84 years old, Bob helped put up and maintain over 100 big signs in the riding. As well he was delighted to see over 1,000 orange small signs decorate the landscape in a previous Conservative stronghold. The Abbotsford NDP was the only riding in Western Canada that doubled their vote in 2011 from 2008!
Bob’s life has been a demonstration of what one person can do if they roll up their sleeves and get busy! He will continue to fight for social democracy even after his passing, He will be donating his entire farm valued between two and three million dollars to the BC NDP party.


David Murray's NDP Blog
Contact : tigerdave@shaw.ca

 My name is David Murray and I am currently on City Council in the City of Pitt Meadows British Columbia.
I ran Federally for the New Democratic Party in 2011 in Abbotsford and with the great team we had in place had the distinction of being the only riding in Western Canada that doubled our NDP vote!
I am the Editor of the Pitt Meadows Today Community Online Newspaper which together with its sister papers the Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Langley Today are receiving 250,000 hits a month!
http://www.pittmeadowstoday.ca/


My family goes back to the CCF-NDP party circa October 1935 as my father "Bud" Murray worked on Tommy Douglas's first campaign!


I am a union activist for CUPE and sit as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Fraser Valley District Council and am on the executive board of the Fraser Valley Labour Council (CLC)

Liberal Attack Ads Offside

Letters: Liberal Attack Ads Offside

By The Editor on February 19, 2013

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Dear Editor. I can not believe the irony and stupidity of the new BC Liberal attack ad that questions Mr. Dix’s honesty based on a memo he wrote and backdated over a decade ago and has since apologized for.
Do these fools really want to go there? I mean the BC Liberals actually starting a fight over honesty and character.
These are the same people that brought you the ongoing government BC Rail scam – probably one of the worst examples of corruption and subsequent coverup in BC history. We all know that if the trail of corruption had led to some obscure nobody backbencher they would have been, censured, shunned, cut loose and hung out to dry.
But it appears the trail went much higher up the political ladder.
I guess the next thing we will see is the Liberals questioning the NDP’s commitment to democracy. I have listened to Mr. Dix and he impressed me as a real down to earth straight shooter who a long time ago made a minor mistake as we all do and apologized for it, what is with the serious double standard.
Wayne Clark
Maple Ridge

NDP’s Mulcair lashes out at Conservative foreign policy in Montreal speech

 

 

By Jeff Heinrich, THE GAZETTE February 7, 2013

 

 

 

 

“The interests of a tiny ideological group have taken precedence over the public interest, and petty, low-grade politics over the exercise of real leadership and realization of a long-term vision,” NDP Leader Tom Mulcair says of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.

Photograph by: Sean Kilpatrick , THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL — Under the Harper government, Canada has gone from a respected leader in international foreign policy to a country that can’t even get a seat at the table, federal opposition leader Thomas Mulcair said Thursday.
Speaking to an international affairs luncheon on his home turf in Montreal, the NDP leader blasted the Conservatives for retreating in aid and influence in Africa, East Asia and at the United Nations.
But he cautioned against Quebec abandoning its role in federal organizations such as the Canadian International Development Agency and going its own way, as the PQ government wants.
“The Harper government has broken with a foreign policy that produced results, a policy that enjoyed a large consensus for decades,” Mulcair told the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations.
“They’ve turned their back on the open and progressive multilateralism Canada was famous for and that allowed it to play a preponderant role on the international scene.
“Instead, they’ve used our foreign policy simply to respond to partisan considerations,” the Outremont MP told a crowd of 250 people who paid to see him speak at a downtown hotel.
He cited several examples: Canada lost its seat at the UN Security Council in 2010, has closed embassies in several African countries, and has turned CIDA into a trade, not aid, organization.
Instead of funding programs in the poorest nations of Africa, CIDA now funds commercial projects in middle-class South America. It funds more evangelical groups, too, he said.
“More religion, less nutrition,” the NDP leader quipped.
On the economic front, Canada has been denied a seat at the annual East Asia Summit, which has chosen instead to host more “engaged” nations like Russia, the U.S. and Australia.
“Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was once asked to explain her success in international diplomacy,” Mulcair said, switching from French to English.
“In doing so, she paraphrased a rather unlikely source, Woody Allen: ‘80 per cent of success is just showing up.’ Well, our current Conservative government has failed to do even that.”
His audience — among them, ex-Liberal MNA colleague Russell Copeman, ex-McGill University chancellor Gretta Chambers, and lawyers Eric Maldoff and Julius Grey — chuckled at that.
Ottawa also has less and less to do with the countries of the Francophonie, Mulcair added — for example, by no longer funding its organization’s Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sport.
For an officially bilingual nation like Canada, “what a waste!” Mulcair said, promising to restore ties to the Francophonie if his party forms the next government.
That brought applause from the crowd, as he went on to diss Harper and cabinet ministers John Baird and Julian Fantino for trashing a legacy of global relations begun by Lester B. Pearson.
“The interests of a tiny ideological group have taken precedence over the public interest, and petty, low-grade politics over the exercise of real leadership and realization of a long-term vision.
“What you have to understand,” Mulcair told his audience, “is that Stephen Harper’s Conservatives quite like power, but they don’t like the responsibilities of governing.”

However, the former Quebec Liberal cabinent minister stopped short of endorsing his “progressive” allies on Quebec’s provincial scene — the Parti Québécois government of Pauline Marois.
Scrummed by reporters, he refused to say whether he supports the PQ’s plan to set up its own foreign-aid agency, announced Wednesday by international affairs minister Jean-François Lisée.
“Quebec’s values and Canada’s values are similarly progressive on the world scale, “ he said. It’s his job, he added, to make sure “international solidarity” is nurtured for “all of Canada.”
Mulcair was nursing an injured arm — appropriately for a left-winger, his right arm — because of an accident he suffered Wednesday outside his Ottawa home.
“Excuse my left hand — I fell on the ice yesterday,” he apologized before his speech, working the room and shaking hands.
Asked about it later, he joked: “My left is just as strong as it ever was.
“But I went flying on a nice sheet of sheer ice behind my residence in Ottawa yesterday that was covered by a treacherous one-quarter-inch of fresh-fallen powdery snow.
“I’ll be back in no time. I just have to be a little bit careful, right now.”
jheinrich@montrealgazette.com

BC Liberals Have Nothing to Show for $15 Million in 'Jobs Plan' Ads, Says NDP

February 8th, 2013

VICTORIA – Since the Liberals' so-called jobs plan was introduced in September 2011, B.C. has seen stagnant job numbers overall and huge losses in the private sector – the target of the Liberals’ plan, say the New Democrats.
“Taxpayers are paying $15 million for Liberal government ads that tell you the jobs plan is working great,” said New Democrat finance critic Bruce Ralston. “The ads you’re paying for say because of the Liberal jobs plan, we’re leading the country in job creation. That is, and always has been, factually incorrect.”
“No matter how you look at it, overall jobs numbers have been underwhelming since the plan was announced,” said Ralston. “And private sector jobs in BC have seen a massive drop.
Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey released Friday show job numbers in B.C. have been stagnant since the plan was announced on Sept. 19, 2011, and the province lost nearly 16,000 jobs over the previous month. The statistics also show that 37,000 jobs have been lost in the private sector since the jobs plan began.
B.C. is now second worst of all the provinces for job growth.
"The only major initiative the Liberals have undertaken since Premier Clark became leader has been the jobs plan, which has turned out to be nothing more than an excuse to waste $15 million of taxpayers' money trying to convince British Columbians that the Liberals are doing a good job.
“This is a tired government that has run out of steam. They have no new ideas, and aren’t up to the challenge of following through on the policies they’ve already put on the table,” said Ralston. “It isn’t surprising that British Columbians want change.”
British Columbians deserve better. Rather than wasting valuable taxpayer dollars on politically-motivated advertisements, B.C.’s New Democrats are offering change for the better, one practical step at a time.

Columns: How Did The Conservatives Become The Family Values Party?

By David Murray on August 17, 2011

By David Murray. I’ve always considered myself a family values kind of guy. I have made sure my children have grown up in the world knowing about God. My son even chose to go to a Christian University in Portland Oregon (Concordia College).

David Murray

After a hard day at work I would come home and make sure everyone was at the practice, game, dance or karate lesson they were supposed to be at. Like many people in the Fraser Valley, I take my que from some of the old Mennonite teachings.(Please note: That in no way are we saying in this article that you have to go to church to have good family values: I thought I would put that note in before my good friend Dale Jackaman responds to this article)

Love thy neighbour; take care of the poor; beware your success blind you to those less fortunate; take care of your community. These values aren’t the sole property of the Mennonite community, they belong to all the regions of the world in one way or another, and they belong to all healthy communities the world over.

As we have become more of an urban nation (Living in the Fraser Valley is a great example of this) over the last generation and moved away from our small town, rural lifestyles, governments have tried to express these basic values through legislation and give a caring, loving and forward-looking sense to the country.
Tommy Douglas, a hero to a new generation of Canadians, took his prairie values, as head of the old CCF (precursor to todays NDP) and brought us universal medicare. In his simple, down home way of thinking, the amount of money in a mans bank account shouldn’t determine whether he, his family, his children should receive medical care.
The CCF and later under NDP’s David Lewis and Ed Broadbent, used their position as a strong third party in the House of Commons to advance labour laws and social justice to provide protection for workers at the expense of corporate profits.
David Lewis son Stephen has played an important role at the United Nations fighting to make the world a more caring place, both in the fight against AIDS and against poverty and the many social plagues from which Africa suffers. I have listened to him speak many times and he is an empowering speaker.
It sometimes baffles me that the right wings of the old Progressive Conservative Party, which merged with the right wing of the old Reform Party to become today’s Conservative Party, somehow managed to successfully take on the mantle as the family values in our country. This is not the old Progressive Conservative party that had strong leaders like John Diefenbaker who was skillful in working with other members of parliament regardless of political stripe. (with Tommy Douglas) many pieces of progressive legislation were passed in his tenure as Prime Minister.
This is a party and a government that has declared war on crime, even though statistically crime has been on a substantial decline for decades. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/20/crime-statistics020.html .It is the party that attempts to restrict and punish refugees in the guise of punishing human traffickers.
It is also the party that has cut back social spending on moral causes with which it doesn’t agree. Attacking Libby Davies and her Bill C-304 to ensure secure adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians is a clear example of a broken government. It has gutted the Canadian census making it almost impossible for social agencies and provinces to make any meaningful decisions about helping the marginalized and the disadvantaged.
These are not family values. These are not the beliefs I grew up with. These are not the small town values that helped us survive as a country through over a hundred years of hardships.
How did the Prime Minister Stephen Harper as well as MP’s like Randy Kamp ,James Moore and Ed Fast manage to wrap themselves in the blanket of family values. The same values against which they seem to be battling with every new piece of legislation they introduce as though rolling back the last 100 years of Canadian political evolution to a harsher, harder and meaner time?
This piece was written by David Murray and first appeared in the Abbotsford Today over a year ago. It was picked up in a lot of other papers in Canada , coast to coast.

David Murray – Is the Editor of the Pitt Meadows Today
Is a councillor in the City of Pitt Meadows

Please contact me at
Phone:604-537-9786
Email: tigerdave@shaw.ca
You can follow me on Twitter: DavidMurray4NDP

Polls Show Christy Clark Isn't Exactly In B.C.'s Good Books

The Huffington Post Canada  |  By Eric Grenier  

Adrian Dix, The Pulse, Adrian Dix Poll, Bc Liberals Poll, Bc Ndp Poll, Bc Political Polls, Bc Poll, Bc Polls, Christy Clark, B.C. Politics, Polls Adrian Dix, Polls Christy Clark, Canada Politics News

The polls continue to look rough for B.C. Premier Christy Clark and her beleaguered Liberal Party.
A poll from B.C.-based Justason Market Intelligence conducted by telephone and online between Jan. 25 and Feb. 1 gives Adrian Dix's New Democrats a 22-point lead over the governing Liberals, with 48 to 26 per cent support. Contrary to what some earlier polls had shown, the Liberals appear stagnant. They are down two points compared to Justason's last poll four months ago.
This comes hot on the heels of another poll by Angus-Reid that looked specifically at how British Columbians view the leaders of the two parties. The results were not good for the premier.
Respondents were asked about whether the two leaders posses various traits. Clark's top answers were "out of touch" (41 per cent), "arrogant" (39 per cent), "secretive" and "inefficient" (33 per cent). And though the top response among those who voted for the Liberals in 2009 was "intelligent (44 per cent), "out of touch" and "arrogant" were second and third.
Dix registered his highest numbers on "intelligent" (36 per cent), "down to earth" (25 per cent) and "in touch" (22 per cent). He averaged 19 per cent on the nine positive traits Angus-Reid included in their poll, and 15 per cent on the nine negative traits. By comparison, Clark averaged only 14 per cent on the positive traits and 27 per cent on the negative ones.
Clark scored higher than Dix on virtually all of the negative traits: being out of touch, arrogant, secretive, inefficient, dishonest, weak, foolish and uncaring. Dix had better results than Clark on almost all of the positive traits: being intelligent, down to earth, compassionate, open, honest, in touch and efficient. Clark was only seen as stronger and more exciting than Dix, while the NDP leader was seen as being more boring.
The Justason poll, however, does suggest that a window of opportunity could exist for the Liberals among undecided voters. While health care (18 per cent) and pipelines (11 per cent) were the top issues for NDP voters, the economy (13 per cent) was most important for undecided voters. That aligns more closely with Liberal voters, 20 per cent of whom identified the economy as their top issue of concern. On the other hand, 11 per cent of undecideds identified taxes and the HST as the top issue. It is impossible to say whether that is good or bad for the Liberals, who instituted the HST but cancelled it after a provincial referendum.

Nevertheless, being so completely behind Dix on personal appeal puts Clark at an enormous disadvantage, particularly with little more than 13 weeks to go before the election. It would be easier for Clark to make up the gap with the NDP if she were was popular than her party, which has been in power for 12 years. Facing a better-liked opponent, while also carrying the baggage of such a long period in government, Clark's odds of prevailing in May are looking slimmer and slimmer.
Éric Grenier taps The Pulse of federal and regional politics for Huffington Post Canada readers on most Tuesdays and Fridays. Grenier is the author of ThreeHundredEight.com, covering Canadian politics, polls and electoral projections.

Provincial Politics: A Coffee Interview With Elizabeth Rosenau

By David Murray on March 12, 2012

By David Murray: I had the pleasure of sitting down and doing an interview with Elizabeth Rosenau this morning. Elizabeth is the candidate for the NDP in the next provincial election which will take place May of 2013. This is what she had to say.

Elizabeth Rosenau

David Murray: Thanks very much for taking the time today to do this interview Elizabeth!
Elizabeth Rosenau: You are welcome David. I am happy we were able to get together to do this .
DM: Elizabeth where are you from originally?
ER: I am from Hamilton, Ontario.
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DM: Wow, you can’t get a more blue collar town than that!
ER: Yes, that is for sure. My father was a steelworker. We were in the heart of the heavy industrial sector.
I watched the boom and bust, I went thru many strikes.
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DM: How old were you when you left Hamilton?
ER: I left Hamilton at the tender age of 17. I went to the University of Toronto to get my degree in Pharmacy.
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DM: You came to B.C. when?
ER: Right after I graduated from UT ,I started taking courses at Simon Fraser. I also took courses in special needs.
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DM: How long have you lived in this area?
ER: I have lived here for the last 25 years. My three children went to Laityview school and then went on to attend Maple Ridge Secondary.
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DM: You have been involved in the Special Olympic program locally, is that correct?
ER: Yes, for the last seven years I have been the head coach of the swim team.
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DM: You have three children?
ER: That is correct, Carla is the youngest, Liam is 19 and Natalie is the oldest at 22.
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DM: I know you tried to get the Federal NDP nomination in this area. Why provincial politics now?
ER: Excellent question, After my attempt to get the Federal nomination , I was asked by a lot of people to consider running provincially. Dennis Striefel brought to my attention how much downloading was being done by the Federal government and how much an MLA can do to influence decision making processes, especially ones that I care dearly about.
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DM: The current Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge MLA Michael Sather has been a big supporter of you!
ER: Yes Michael has been an extremely hard working MLA and having his support is very humbling.
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DM: If your party forms government and if you are elected , what are some of the initiatives you would like to see moved forward in our riding?
ER: I would like to see the Evergreen Line brought out to Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. I would also support having an additional train going both ways in the morning and the evening on the West Coast Express. As well as running a pilot project on Saturday’s to see how this would work out as well. We are already at 93% capacity with the West Coast Express and with the continued future growth and expansion of this region we are going to need more choices to facilitate these transit concerns.
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DM: Do you support tolling of our bridges?
ER: Absolutely not, I do not think the Port Mann or Golden Ears Bridge should be tolled, and I will fight long and hard to make sure the Pitt River Bridge does not get a toll as well.

I’m All Right Jack

Federal Politics: I’m All Right Jack

By David Murray on May 23, 2012

By David Murray. The term ‘I’m all right Jack’ described the bitter dismay of sailors (jacks) returning home after wartime in the Navy to find themselves not treated as patriots or heroes, but ignored. Today it means a complacent, selfish, and a get-ahead society.
So many things encompass this term today. Things like global warming. Some people think it is not affecting them. Locally you just have to look at the effect the pine beetle has had on our forest.

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Many baby boomers who, thanks to our mothers and fathers, have had a pretty good life – great job, housing and education opportunities. We are so quick to forget the days of the $50,000 – $100,000 house, $500 tuition, and the opportunity to walk across the street to get a well paying job if the boss didn’t like us. Many in our generation belonged to a union. Fewer belong today. In 2001 43 percent of the workers in our province belonged to a union, today sadly only 29 percent belong.
So many workers forget the role trade unions had in fighting for fair wages and working conditions which helped to non-union workers as well.
It makes me mad when I hear a worker say, ‘I am not worried, I only have a few years left to go before I retire.’ They forget; if we don’t have younger workers paying into their pensions, they will be more than worried when they reach the age of 75 and no longer have benefits.
So many young people today are really getting disillusioned. Education is so expensive now, they are taking on massive debt, yet have no promise of a future job on the horizon. It is little wonder the Occupy Movement has sprung up.
The division of economic wealth has shifted too far one way. The one percent are controlling too much and this is being facilitated by the Conservative government in Canada.
I hope that everyone who reads this article holds our government to account. We must make them accountable. Write and email your local MP and ask questions. Why? Why? Why? This way if you don’t get an answer, the solution may be the same as it was in 1935 with the slogan “Iron Heel” Bennett, “Get rid of them”.