January 15, 2010
Democracy "suspended" - Prime Minister Harper shuts down Parliament

As an elected Member of Parliament I find it absolutely offensive that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has chosen to shut down Parliament in order to silence any scrutiny of his government and hold him accountable in the House of Commons.

I, along with my Liberal colleagues, will be back in Ottawa on January 25, 2010 when the House of Commons was scheduled to resume. I will continue to work throughout the next two months in both my Ottawa office and my constituency office on Danforth Avenue in order to ensure your voice is heard on issues that matter to you.

Mr. Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament marks the third time in three years that he has shut down Parliament, derailing the nation’s business in order to serve his own political interests. Mr. Harper is showing complete disregard for our democratic institutions and once again proving that he is more interested in partisan manipulation and strategic advantage rather than governing in the best interests of Canadians.
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Earthquake in Haiti

Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti. As former Minister of International Cooperation I visited the impoverished nation and saw first-hand their daily struggle for survival even before this tragic event.  

In their hour of need Canadians are rallying together to provide support for the Haitian people.  Donations are pouring into our aid and relief agencies, but much more is needed to provide immediate assistance to the people of Haiti. 

Earlier this week, we called on the government to match dollar for dollar private donations, and the government has agreed to match private donations up to $50 million.  That means our ability to provide assistance is now twice as strong.  I encourage you to donate whatever you can to help the people of Haiti. 

Please click on one of the links below to make a donation to the aid agency you wish:

Canadian Red Cross
Doctors Without Borders
Oxfam Canada
Oxfam Quebec
Centre for International studies and Cooperation (CECI)
CARE Canada
The Humanitarian Coalition
World Vision Canada
Plan Canada

Friends and relatives in Canada seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in the affected area should contact Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada at: 1-800-387-3124

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Speaking at the Kyoto NOW! rally at Dundas Square
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Stephen Harper’s weak stand on environment
tarnishes Canada’s international reputation

By Maria Minna, MP

Canada’s reputation took quite a beating from the international community at the 2009 UN Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December - and rightly so.

Canada was once a respected world leader in the fight against climate change. The previous Liberal government’s 2005 Budget was heralded as the “greenest in Canadian history” by the Sierra Club. 

The former Liberal government also ratified and implemented the Kyoto Protocol and brought in Project Green in 2005 which allocated more than $10 billion to clean our air, land and water, preserve our natural environment and address climate change. 

Because Stephen Harper has no commitment to dealing effectively with climate change, one of the first things he did on taking office in 2006 was to cancel Project Green. The Pembina Institute has declared that Project Green was more than six times more effective than anything the Conservative government has offered since that time. [Read more]

 



  
 
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