Despite prorogation, work continues in Ottawa
GEOFF REGAN (POLITICAL SPEAK)
Halifax News Net
Despite the Conservative government’s suspension of Parliament, my work representing Halifax West has continued.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision to shut down Parliament simply to avoid criticism proved to be very unpopular with my constituents and he was wrong when he said Canadians wouldn’t care.
Over 700 people braved the winter cold to attend a “No Prorogation” rally on Jan. 23, and over 215,000 people have joined the Facebook group Canadians Against Prorogation. This grassroots action shows we do not take our democratic institutions for granted.
It was nice to see many familiar faces from Halifax West at the rally.
I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting with constituents about important issues like the funding cut to KAIROS, support for community environmental projects through ACAP and business and community projects in the riding. I also met with representatives from Citizenship and Immigration Canada to discuss immigration issues that were brought to my attention by residents of Halifax West.
Liberal MPs returned to Ottawa on Jan. 25 so we could continue to do our job as the official opposition. We intend to hold this government to account and to discuss issues like pensions, the environment and, of course, the economy and job creation.
We are putting our time to good use. Liberals have held a series of round-
tables on such topics as health care, homelessness, community safety, status of women and veterans.
As the critic for Natural Resources, I co-chaired a meeting with key players in forestry, agriculture and mining. We heard some very good proposals on how to create jobs and help these sectors contribute even more to our economy.
The insights we gained through these sessions will help our party shape its policies as we head into the next session of Parliament.
When the House does resume again in March, my focus will be on improving healthcare, education and transportation, protecting pensions and strengthening the economy.
I look forward to the opportunity to once again voice the views of people in Halifax West in the next session.
A season’s celebration for everyone
December 2009
Happy holidays Halifax West. This is the season when family and friends share feasts and gifts, and look forward to a bright new year. For many people this is the happiest time of the year.
But it is important to remember that not everyone in Halifax West has a Christmas feast to enjoy. This last year Canada has been struggling with an economic recession that has hit many families in Nova Scotia very hard.
In November Food Banks Canada released a report that said there were 20 per cent more Nova Scotians who used a food bank in 2009 than in the previous year. For many, their financial difficulties meant they had to use a food bank for the first time. Across Canada, 37 per cent of food bank users are children under the age of 18.
With so many families in need this year it is important for Nova Scotians to help each other. People in the Maritimes are renowned for their generosity, and I have faith that we will live up to our reputation and give our support to those less fortunate this season. There are numerous organizations like Feed Nova Scotia, the Salvation Army and Beacon House that work hard to make sure every family in Nova Scotia has a meal to share at Christmas and presents to open.
In December each year I volunteer to help pack boxes either at Beacon House or Feed Nova Scotia’s warehouse. It has become a holiday tradition I look forward to as an important part of the season. I am always touched by the dedication of the staff and volunteers who come out to prepare Christmas packages. These people are an example to us all, and without them there would be no Yuletide celebrations for many in our communities.
I would like to extend a thank you to everyone who volunteers with charitable organizations in Nova Scotia at Christmas and throughout the year. It is that spirit of giving that makes Halifax West a wonderful place to live.
Geoff Regan is the Member of Parliament for Halifax West.
Literacy must become a national priority
GEOFF REGAN (POLITICAL SPEAK)
Halifax News Net
‘Literacy is the single most important tool that Canadians need to realize their full economic potential.”
I was reminded of this quote, from a 2009 report on adult literacy and life skills, recently when I spent the morning on Spring Garden road handing out newspapers along with a group of dedicated local volunteers collecting donations on Raise a Reader Day.
This worthwhile event is part of a national campaign which helps raise funds for local literacy programs and helps encourage family literacy.
Many people made generous donations and a few stopped to discuss the current events reported in that morning’s edition of the paper – news delivered via the printed word and read by thousands. Of course, the event itself reminded me that too many people lack the basic skills to read the morning paper.
Most of us are fortunate enough to have achieved a certain level of literacy and reading doesn’t pose a problem in our daily lives. But the sad reality is that many Canadians do not have the ability to read a newspaper, or follow directions on a prescription bottle, or read their child’s report card.
According to Statistics Canada, four out of 10 Canadian adults — that’s nine million people — struggle with low literacy. Within that group, 27 per cent can perform only simple reading tasks, while 15 per cent have trouble reading any printed materials at all.
In an affluent country like ours, these statistics are unacceptable.
The implications of low literacy rates for education and employment are staggering. A recent report released by Statistic Canada’s Centre for Education Statistics indicates that young people with a higher reading ability at the age of 15 were more likely to have studied at a university or community college by age 21.
And the fact is that higher education levels lead to better-paid jobs.
Grassroots initiatives such as Raise a Reader Day and Read to Me (which provides new parents with books and literacy resources through maternity wards in all Nova Scotia hospitals) represent pro-active steps towards achieving higher literacy. But we need to do more and our governments must take the lead.
Students are this country’s future
GEOFF REGAN (POLITICAL SPEAK)
Halifax News Net
Summer is winding down, September is almost upon us, and students are on the move. Some are leaving to study in other places, while HRM will soon play host to the influx of young people that our universities and colleges draw in each year. My two daughters will soon resume their studies at St.F.X. and Acadia. Like many parents at this time of year, I will watch them leave with a mixture of sorrow and pride. They, and all Canada’s students, represent this country’s future.
Being a student isn’t easy these days. The economic downturn has affected virtually all areas of society, including the educational sector. Earlier this month, Statistics Canada reported that July’s student unemployment rate had soared to 20.9 per cent — an alarming 7.1 percentage point increase from 2008. And a recent RBC/Ipsos Reid poll indicates that 50 per cent of students expect their spending money to run out before the end of the school year. Clearly, by failing to initiate job-creating economic growth, the government is letting students down.
Rising tuition fees also contribute to the student debt load, making it even more difficult for young people to achieve their education and career goals. Students need help paying tuition, and universities need help to lower costs. This calls for an educational strategy in the post-secondary field based on a philosophy that places merit over money — a vision expressed by Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff as “You get the grades, you get to go.”
The range of educational opportunities that can create the jobs of the future has never been greater, and government must recognize this development by adopting a broader concept of education in the new economy. Canada must invest in post-secondary education, apprenticeships and all forms of training for our young people — and that includes language training for new immigrants so that every Canadian can make a meaningful contribution to our society.
Post-secondary institutions themselves — the colleges and universities that incubate Canada’s future entrepreneurs, scientists and creative thinkers — can’t afford to fall behind while waiting for infrastructure stimulus promised in the January budget.
With construction season winding down, delays in funding equal delays in economic growth. We owe it to our students to invest in the institutions that prepare them for the future. Make no mistake — government economic policy today will shape the Canada that our graduates inherit.
I wish all our students well as they return to school, and I welcome Mount Saint Vincent University students, both new and returning, to Halifax West. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me or my constituency office staff with any issues that may be of concern to you.
Click here to read CASA's letter to Geoff regarding this column
Isotope shortage putting patients at risk
GEOFF REGAN (POLITICAL SPEAK)
‘The public has a right to know.” Never has this been truer than in the last session of Parliament, when government transparency and accountability were in short supply.
In January, my appointment as natural resources critic called on me to put Conservative accountability to the test as reports emerged that the government withheld vital information about radioactive leaks at the Chalk River nuclear facility, which produces a third of the world’s supply of medical isotopes.
My duty was clear: I demanded that Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt explain how the leak happened, what the impact was on people and our environment, how it would affect isotope production and why she did not see fit to tell Canadians about it immediately.
Over the next several months the situation continued to deteriorate at Chalk River, and the minister continued to deny we were heading for a medical isotope crisis that is putting the lives of cancer patients at risk.
But rather than put forward a plan to deal with the crisis, Prime Minister Stephen Harper shocked the world by announcing AECL would be put up for sale and Canada would be getting out of the isotope production business. And as this column goes to press, the nuclear medicine community is reeling from an announcement that the Chalk River reactor shutdown will continue until at least the end of 2009.
Clearly, a more proactive approach is needed to deal with this crisis and all alternatives must be considered. I will continue to challenge the government to be open and accountable on this file and I will work to ensure we have a stable isotope supply, which is vital to cancer and cardiac patients.
In April, my work as natural resources critic took me through Quebec and Ontario, where I met with stakeholders in the forestry sector to discuss strategies to revitalize the industry and help unemployed forestry workers. Wherever I went, I saw evidence of the government’s reluctance to invest in research and development — unmistakable signs of a lack of commitment to this vital sector of our economy.
Recent shutdowns and layoffs at Abitibi Bowater and Minas Basin Pulp & Power and in dozens of other communities across the country leave me deeply concerned. The forestry sector is vital to the economic well-being of thousands of families in hundreds of rural communities. We must continue to pressure the Conservative government to commit to investments that will help transform the forestry sector through direct investment in research, marketing and training.
Finally, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the NDP on forming government in Nova Scotia and to those MLAs elected or re-elected in Halifax West and other parts of HRM.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me or my constituency office staff with any issues that may be of concern to you