The election is over and now it is time to get back to work. I would like to thank the citizens of B.C. Southern Interior for giving me a mandate to continue working on your behalf.
It is important to acknowledge the contribution of the other candidates during the election campaign. All of them worked very hard on behalf of their supporters and I would like to thank them for their efforts.
I think that all of us showed that a political campaign can be conducted with respect for opponents while at the same time, tackling the issues that are of major concern. It is my hope that the civility demonstrated between the political parties in B.C. Southern Interior could somehow spill over into the House of Commons.
There are many issues that need to be debated during the next session of parliament and it is possible to do this in an atmosphere of dignity and mutual respect. It is time for all MPs to rise to the occasion.
Once again our election results do not accurately reflect the vote of Canadians. We need to have the cause of Proportional Representation (PR) taken up by all political parties so that one day we will have a parliament that truly reflects the will of the people.
In addition to PR other priorities for the NDP are:
• cancellation of further corporate tax cuts
• economic stimulus package
• concrete steps to tackle climate change
• pension protection
Government must play an active role in the best interests of the citizens it represents. We can not, especially in these difficult economic times, sit and watch the market forces regulate themselves. A certain amount of government intervention is necessary to stabilize the economy. One approach, supported by the provinces, is to strengthen our federal infrastructure. For example, by supporting a national affordable housing strategy, our federal government could address, not only the lack of affordable housing, but also provide a stimulus to the forest and construction industries.
As the NDP critic for Agriculture one of my responsibilities over the past few months has been to undertake a national food security tour as we look to develop a national food policy. In tough economic times, we need to support local food initiatives to provide good quality food and support local farmers.
There are a number of issues that I hope to tackle during the next year, one of them being the return of the Bridesville Post Office. It is important that we let Canada Post and our government know that the closure of post offices in our rural communities is not acceptable. In fact, we should be doing all we can to promote the quality of life in rural Canada by keeping well paying jobs in our communities.
Other concerns that my staff and I also hope to address are the Canada Summer Jobs program and museum funding. We have received feedback from a number of our museums and I will be bringing this forward to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. James Moore. In regard to summer jobs, a number of Chambers of Commerce did not receive funding last summer for their tourism centres. I am hoping to get some ideas from our communities as we work together to develop criteria for 2009.
And, speaking of our communities, I would like to congratulate all those who were successful in the November 15th municipal elections. I look forward to working with you, our MLAs, First Nations representatives and others in the best interests of all our citizens.
At this time, my staff and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year.