Brant New Democrats (NDP)

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper used to promise he would clean up the unelected, unaccountable Upper Chamber. Now he’s in the middle of one of the biggest Senate scandals in history and is being forced to defend the many dubious actions of the Conservative senators he appointed.

 Asked in February by NDP Leader Tom Mulcair about Senator Pamela Wallin’s expenses, he went so far as to personally guarantee that her expenses were fine.

 ”In terms of Senator Wallin, I have looked at the numbers. Her travel costs are comparable to any parliamentarian travelling from that particular area of the country over that period of time”

–Stephen Harper, February 13th, 2013

 Apparently, auditors had a different view of Senator Wallin’s spending record. And now, Ms. Wallin has followed in the footsteps of Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau and has left the Conservative caucus because of her expense claims.

 Whether she’s in the Conservative caucus or not, she’ll still cost Canadians hundreds of thousands of dollars for years to come.

 And her departure does nothing to explain why the Prime Minister’s office was involved with $90,000 secret payouts and cover-ups.

 Canadians deserve better.

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On behalf of the New Democratic Party of Canada, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the family of Elijah Harper; his wife Anita Olsen Harper, his children Bruce and Holly, and his step-children Karen, Dylan, Gaylen and Grant.

 Our condolences also go out to the Cree people, particularly Red Sucker Lake First Nation – Elijah’s birthplace – on the loss of their leader and elder.

 Elijah was the first First Nation person elected to provincial parliament, and he was elected as a New Democrat.

 While his quiet stand against the Meech Lake Accord, because it was negotiated without the input of Aboriginal peoples, is what most will remember about him, in recent years he became a respected spiritual leader, helping people of all backgrounds find healing and understanding.

 He was also instrumental in establishing National Aboriginal Day on June 21^st, which has become a Canada-wide celebration of First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples, their history and contemporary culture.

His leadership helped inspire a new generation to take up the cause of indigenous sovereignty, and honour the survivors of residential schools. His passing will be mourned by many across Canada.

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It was only 23 years ago today that homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Diseases.

Today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, New Democrats are proud to stand in solidarity with the LGBT(Q) community here at home and abroad as we renew our commitment to speaking out against discrimination, prejudice and violence.

Although we’ve made great strides in Canada, there is still much work to be done to eliminate the hostility and ostracism that members of the LGBT(Q) community face in this country and around the world. In many countries, being homosexual is sadly still a crime and rates of cyberhomophobia are on the rise.

New Democrats are proud of our record of recognizing the right of every Canadian to live free from fear of persecution regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has been a strong advocate for gay and transgender rights, working to strengthen Quebec Charter protections for gays and lesbians. Svend Robinson, Canada’s first openly gay MP, introduced a bill that extended hate crimes protection to gays and lesbians. In March, the NDP bill to make violence against transgender Canadians a hate crime passed in the House of Commons.

New Democrats are committed to ensuring equality, diversity and understanding among all people. We will continue to work towards the day when the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual people are recognized around the world—and the simple act of being who you are is no longer considered “brave.”

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Elections Canada needs to get to the bottom of “double-dipping” allegations

TORONTO – Today, NDP Democratic Reform critic Craig Scott (Toronto-Danforth) sent a letter to Elections Canada asking for an investigation of Mike Duffy’s expense claims from the last federal election. 

“Media reports indicate that the Senator may have been claiming taxpayer-funded expenses while campaigning during the last election,” said Scott. “Today, I wrote to the Commissioner of Elections Canada asking for them to investigate possible Elections Act violations and get to the bottom of this troubling affair.” 

The letter to the Commissioner is attached.

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