Feed aggregator

The annual arrival of Labour Day offers us a chance to thank all of the working women and men who toil tirelessly to build our province and make it work every day.   There is much reason to celebrate this Monday. Decades of hard work, organizing and effort have created real progress.But ...

Queen’s Park - Dalton McGuinty’s Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) makes long weekends more expensive for families, says NDP MPP Howard Hampton. “Dalton McGuinty’s tax on gas makes family outings more expensive,” said Hampton. “Parents will have to work harder to take their families camping, to the cottage, or on ...

Dear Friends, Sisters and Brothers As we celebrate today the naming of a small piece of public space in honour of our dear friend, Julius Deutsch, it is striking how appropriate this memorial is. We all remember Julius as a tireless organizer - constantly in motion, running campaigns, providing wise ...

Queen's Park - The McGuinty Liberals are ignoring their own expert's recommendations and leaving too many Ontarians without adequate coverage for their retirement, says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and NDP Pension Critic Paul Miller. "We were hoping to see a plan to help the two-out-of-three people in this province without ...

Queen's Park -Today’s Statistics Canada report on inflation shows that the HST is driving up the cost of living for Ontario families, says NDP Finance Critic Peter Tabuns. “Dalton McGuinty’s new tax on gas, hydro, haircuts, and everything in between is making life less affordable for Ontario families,” said Tabuns. “Today ...

Queen’s Park - NDP MPP Rosario Marchese says today’s cabinet shuffle from Dalton McGuinty will do little to help stimulate Ontario’s economy or repair the damage his government has inflicted on the people of Ontario. “Shuffling the deck isn’t going to erase the fact that McGuinty has made people’s ...

As-Salammu Alaikum (Peace be with you), On behalf of Ontario New Democrats, I extend warmest wishes to Muslims across Ontario in observing the start of the holy month of Ramadan. This month unites Muslims in fasting and prayer, as well as being an opportunity for reflection and spirituality. It is a time to ...

Queen’s Park - The McGuinty Liberals internet gambling proposal has been described by Liberals themselves as a “way to bleed money out of the most vulnerable people” and should be stopped in its tracks, says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. “Once again, an aimless and arrogant Liberal Government ...

Queen’s Park - NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called for a moratorium on hospital restructuring until a full-scale review of Ontario’s Local Health Integration Networks (LHINS) following a new damning report by Ontario’s Ombudsman. “I’m calling for a moratorium on all hospital restructuring until the full-scale review of ...

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says today’s jobs numbers released Statistics Canada paint a sobering picture for Ontario families and called on McGuinty government to replace their no-strings-attached corporate tax giveaway with a focused strategy to create and protect good jobs. “This latest StatsCan report confirms what a ...

QUEEN'S PARK - NDP MPP Rosario Marchese is calling on the McGuinty Liberals to withdraw harmful anti-worker provisions that will give employers the power to intimidate workers before they can launch an employment standards complaint. "The government's changes to the employment standards complaint process will expose vulnerable workers to increased employer ...

OTTAWA – New Democrat Critic for International Cooperation John Rafferty (Thunder Bay-Rainy River) welcomed Minister Bev Oda’s comments that indicated the Government of Canada will provide funding for safe abortion services in countries where abortion is legal through CIDA’s Maternal Health Initiative.

read more

YELLOWKNIFE—New Democrat Leader Jack Layton today accused Stephen Harper of failing the needs of Northern Canadians.

“Whether it’s standing by as our pristine North is polluted, promoting an ill-conceived Northern Strategy or ignoring the calls for a highway along the Mackenzie Valley, Stephen Harper has made it clear that he is not concerned with the problems facing the people of the North,” Layton said.

read more

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath and MPP Peter Kormos issue an open letter calling on the privacy Comissioner to look into alleged identity theft issues concerning the ServiceOntario web site. Read the Letter by clicking here.

Canadians still unprepared for the end of Analogue TV: Angus

OTTAWA- With the deadline for the switch from analogue to digital TV now one year away many Canadians are still unsure how this will affect their television access. 

“So far the Conservative Government has dropped the ball preparing Canadians for this transition that has been in works since 2007,” said New Democrats Digital Issues Critic Charlie Angus.  “Canadians are completely unprepared for this change in service.  I am hearing from a lot of people who are worried that they won’t be able to watch TV after this goes through.”

read more

OTTAWA – New Democrat Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) says the Conservative Government has crossed over the line by insinuating that police support for the gun registry represents a threat to Canada's freedom. The suggestion was made in an e-mail note Angus received from Garry Breitkreuz, Conservative Chair of the Public Safety Committee.

read more

OTTAWA – Canada should add its support for the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the military regime in Burma, says New Democrat Leader Jack Layton (Toronto-Danforth).

“Canadians have spoken out against human rights violations in Burma – from political repression and forced displacement of civilians to sexual violence, torture and murder,” said Layton. “Violating human rights has been used systematically and with impunity by the Burmese junta and it’s time to establish a UN Commission of Inquiry.”

read more

Announces NDP plan to strengthen gun control, respect rural concerns

OTTAWA – New Democrat leader Jack Layton today called on Prime Minister Harper and Opposition leaders to stop playing cynical political games and work to strengthen gun control and respect rural concerns.

“Stephen Harper is pitting Canadian region against Canadian region with his all or nothing show-down. This is un-Canadian,” said Layton. “This is the poisonous politics of the United States. Not the nation-building politics of Canada.”

read more

My thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Cpl. Brian Pinksen of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, based in Corner Brook, NL. Pinksen, 21, who was injured on August 22nd by an IED, tragically succumbed to his injuries at the military hospital he was being treated at in Germany earlier today.

Cpl. Pinksen’s passing will come as a blow to the community in Corner Brook, where he is from. The untimely death of such a young man serves as a solemn reminder to us all of the dangers faced each day by our soldiers in Afghanistan.

read more

Good morning.

If the measure of a national leader is the ability to bridge divides among citizens, our prime minister fails that standard. I have a very clear example: the ongoing debate over the long-gun registry. This country, truly, is divided. There is no consensus.

As the Leader of the New Democratic Party, I have listened closely to the frustration of rural Canadians. I have heard the anger.

read more