EI in Dire Straights

June 28th, 2010

My colleague, Jean Crowder – Nanaimo - Cowichan recently issued the following Op-ed which I would like to share with you.

With the clouds of recession still casting a deep shadow over many Canadians, I hoped the federal government would do everything it could to help workers and small business.

Instead, they’ve done the opposite.

The Conservatives have introduced a whopping Employment Insurance premium hike. Starting next year, employees and employers will have to pay more tax out of every paycheque—$19 billion more.

According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, this plan will make small businesses more reluctant to hire, costing 200,000 jobs across Canada. But the news gets worse.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page reported on April 15th that premiums will have to rise by 35 percent to balance the EI fund in four years. By 2014 that could mean employers in BC Southern Interior will be paying $312 more a year, while workers will pay $223.

Why is the EI fund in such dire straits? When the Conservatives created the new fund, they did not give it the estimated $54 billion surplus generated during the good years in Canada. Most of that money had gone into general revenue under the Liberals.

That surplus would have covered much of the expected shortfall in coming years.

Men and women across the country have still been unable to find work after last year’s severe recession.

Without urgent action, half a million of them will soon run out of Employment Insurance benefits. That means they will simply fall onto provincial welfare rolls—and deeper into debt.

For these 500,000 Canadians, things are about to go from bad to worse.

That is, of course, unless the federal government steps in to help. Unemployed Canadians still have to pay their bills and feed their families, so it’s unacceptable to abandon them.

That’s why New Democrats are committed to a comprehensive job-creation strategy, one that gets Canadians back to work and helps small business grow.

Unfortunately the 2010 budget ignores the plight of Canada’s unemployed and does nothing to create new jobs. Instead it dishes out another $6 billion in corporate tax cuts.

We can use that $6 billion to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to hire more workers through job-creation programs including incentives for new hires, subsidies for health and safety training, and investing in programs like child care that would increase the jobs available.

No economic recovery is complete until the jobs return. That is where we should be spending tax dollars, not on cuts to large corporations.

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Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GM Alfalfa Remains Illegal in US

June 25th, 2010

US court rules Environmental Impact Assessments must be carried out to the satisfaction of farmers and consumers

Castlegar, BC – New Democrat Agriculture Critic, Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior), says no matter how you choose to spin it, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Monsanto’s genetically engineered Roundup Ready Alfalfa will remain illegal to sell or plant for quite some time. According to the ruling genetically modified alfalfa cannot be sold until a full and adequate impact assessment, subject to farmer and consumer satisfaction, has been carried out by the US Department of Agriculture.

“This process could take years and that’s a major victory for American farmers and can only be regarded as a significant blow to Monsanto,” stated Atamanenko.

“I couldn’t be more elated that the highest court in the US has acknowledged that biotech crops do indeed pose an onerous threat to both the environment and to the economic interests of organic and conventional farmers,” stated Atamanenko. “Even better is the court’s recognition that farmers and consumers have a solid right to bring court challenges against the commercialization of biotech crops in the future.”

Atamanenko’s private members bill to rein in the introduction of genetically engineered (GE) seeds was recently passed at second reading in the House of Commons and is in the process of being considered by the Standing Committee on Agriculture. The bill is meant to require an analysis of potential harm to export markets before new genetically engineered seeds are permitted.

“The intention behind Bill C-474 is to protect farmers so they don’t have to organize protests and take actions all the way to Supreme Court in order to prevent the introduction and commercialization of GE technologies that may pose a threat to their business,” stated Atamanenko. “Now that the US has set such an important precedent my bill makes even more sense.”

According to Atamanenko, Monsanto has already been given the necessary health and environmental approvals for GE alfalfa in Canada, with only variety registration left to go before it can be commercialized.

“Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa is as strongly opposed in Canada as it is in the US,” concluded Atamanenko. “To protect farmers parliament needs to pass Bill C-474 as soon as it can be managed once parliament resumes in the fall.”

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New Democrats Call for National Food Security Policy

June 23rd, 2010

“Food for Thought” consultation with Canadians shows overwhelming demand for leadership

OTTAWA – Canadians are looking to their government for a comprehensive food strategy to protect our food security and sovereignty, says a report released Tuesday by New Democrats.

Over the past two years in public forums in 28 communities across the country, Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko led the New Democrat Food for Thought Tour, and spoke to over a thousand Canadians about their thoughts and concerns about food.

“Food is not only fundamental to healthy living but it is fundamental to a healthy economy,” said New Democrat Leader Jack Layton. “Urban or rural, Canadians want their government to step up to the plate and develop a national plan to protect the food we eat and promote the food we produce.”

The Food for Thought Tour revealed these key priorities:

· Enact legislation that will require that food be properly labelled with information on its origin, its nutritional value and whether it is genetically modified or not;

· Require imported foods to meet the same environmental and health standards that apply to food produced in Canada and provide the resources to enforce those standards;

· Offer incentives and design tax policies to promote local food production, processing capacity and distribution networks, such as farmer’s markets and agriculture co-operatives.

“Throughout the tour, Canadians told us that when it comes to food, we have to start thinking locally,” said Atamanenko. “We need to make sure that everyone has access to safe and nutritious food and who better to produce it than our own farmers. We already trust them to put healthy food on our plates. It’s time our government did the same.”

The tour found that supporting local initiatives such as farmers’ markets and cooperatives, and creating regulations adapted to the realities of small scale farmers, are just some of the solutions that would ensure our food security and sovereignty.

The tour also found a wealth of organizations and communities across the country that have or want to develop an action plan to deal with various aspects of food security. There is a strong appetite for federal leadership to support these initiatives.

“This is an important and monumental report on what Canadians are thinking,” said Layton. “I would like to thank everyone who came out to the forums and shared their thoughts, and Alex for seeking out the views of so many Canadians interested in food issues.. It is time that people in Ottawa to finally hear what they have to say.”

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Education should be a boon, not a burden

June 23rd, 2010

During this time of economic recovery, many young Canadians are seeking to improve their chances at developing meaningful careers by opting to invest in higher education. But with federal funding of colleges and universities having been slashed almost continuously since the early 80s, students are expected to make up this shortfall by paying unreasonable tuition fees.

While tuition fees continue to rise across the country, successive governments have done very little to ensure that affordable education is available to every Canadian. Many will argue that the increases are simply a reflection of national inflation, but, as we’ve seen recently, tuition rates have increased 3.6 per cent between 2008 and 2010, while inflation has declined by 0.8 per cent over the same period.

Families all across this country have been hit particularly hard with regards to the cost of higher education. Over the last year, average tuition fees jumped from $5,667 to $5, 951 per year for undergraduate studies, an increase of 5 per cent. For those who come from low-to-middle income families, the burden of tuition fees has caused a massive disparity. Along with tuition, additional fees for such things as athletics, student associations, and health services have also increased dramatically. Add to this the standard cost of living, and many Canadian students are left with a system that will leave them in significant debt for years, often decades, to come. The results add up to more youth-out-migration, a problem that Northern families are far too familiar with. According to Statistics Canada’s Youth in Transition survey, prospective students who opt out of higher education have overwhelmingly cited “financial reasons” as the most common barrier. Higher education is increasingly being reserved for the rich, while many of our brightest students are being left in the dust.

Compounding the problem for families is the 30 year ‘freeze’ in the buying power of take home wages. Canadian workers are all too aware that the wage gap between rich and poor is increasing. Between 1980 and 2005, take home wages in Canada only rose $53 in buying power which indicates that wages have not come close at all to keeping up with the cost of living. Add to this the burden of increased tuition costs on families, and we see a system that is not equipped to help those in the margins.

If the cost of higher education continues to rise, so too does the burden we put on youth who are attempting to gain a fighting chance at a brighter future. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that every prospective student has the means to seek higher education, and by association, a better life. Benjamin Franklin was once quoted as saying “an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” This is a sentiment shared by the New Democrats, and one that we hope the current government will come to realize.

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Canada Post Petition presented in Ottawa

June 17th, 2010

from the official record of parliament, June 17, 2010:
Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, I have here over 700 names of people from South Okanagan and other parts of British Columbia who are concerned about the fact that Canada Post has announced that it will be removing mail processing from local cities, towns and communities in British Columbia, and sending it to Vancouver.

They are saying that this will result in the reduction of service and loss of good paying jobs, which will negatively affect communities already hit hard by the economic recession. They ask the Government of Canada to ensure that Canada Post does the following: support local economies by preserving local jobs and maintaining mail processing at post offices in local cities, towns and communities.

They ask that, prior to making any changes to their mail processing and transportation network, Canada Post conduct a thorough and in-depth study into the service and economic impact on local communities and, using those results, hold full, open and transparent consultation with the local communities that will be impacted by the changes.

They also ask that Canada Post reveal its long-term operational plans to Parliament and the Canadian public.

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Atamanenko Moves to Ban Horse Meat for Human Consumption

June 17th, 2010

OTTAWA – New Democrat Agriculture Critic, Alex Atamanenko (BC southern Interior) tabled a Private Members Bill (C-544) yesterday that would effectively shut down the slaughtering of horses for human consumption in Canada.

“The fact is that drugs which are prohibited for use during the life of any animals destined for the human food supply are routinely being administered to horses,” said Atamanenko. “It is irresponsible for Canada to allow the sale of meat from horses as a food item when they have never been raised in accordance with the food safety practices required for all other animals.”

Atamanenko points to the inexpensive, easily available and widely used anti-inflammatory drug, phenylbutazone (bute), as one example of what is quite likely to be prevalent in horsemeat. Bute is a known carcinogen and its use is illegal in any animal that enters the food supply.

“It is more likely than not that the vast majority of horses will have been administered bute, or ‘horse’s aspirin’ as it is commonly called,” said Atamanenko.

According to Atamanenko, at least fifty per cent of the horses being slaughtered in Canada are imported from the US where horse slaughter has been banned. The meat is then sold to markets in Europe. There are no regulations in the US to prevent horse owners from administering banned substances because horses are not regarded or treated as food-producing animals.

Under pressure from the European Union (EU), Canada is set to introduce a new ‘equine passport’ system to track the health history and medical treatments of horses arriving at slaughterhouses, including those from the States.

Atamanenko believes that it will be impossible for CFIA to verify data in these passports and expects to see a high incidence of inaccurate records.

“Many in the US believe it should be our job to verify information from US horses since Canada is the only one slaughtering them for human consumption,” concluded the Atamanenko. “It’s a stretch to think that information on hundreds of thousands of unwanted horses that were never raised to be food, will be complete or accurate.”

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Petition on Employment Insurance

June 11th, 2010

On June 7, 2010, my colleague Fin Donnelly, Member for New Westminster–Coquitlam, British Columbia, introduced a bill in the House of Commons to improve the employment insurance system. Bill C-526, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (special benefits), would amend the Employment Insurance Act by extending the maximum period for which special benefits for illness, injury or quarantine may be paid from 15 weeks to 52 weeks.

You might have already heard of Marie-Hélène Dubé, three times cancer survivor, who started a petition calling on the government to increase the special benefits available under employment insurance. Ms. Dubé was on the Hill on Monday for the introduction of Bill C-526.

Ms. Dubé’s petition now contains more than 200,000 signatures and demonstrates that Canadians want change and greater protection.

The petition is available HERE. The website is in French, but the petition is available in English on the left side of the page. All you have to do is print, sign and mail it. I urge you to sign this petition to send the message to the government that Canadians want change and greater protection.

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Federal NDP Steps Up Pressure on Harper Gov’t to Halt HST

June 11th, 2010

OTTAWA – With less than a month to go before the HST is set to kick in, the federal New Democrats are launching an all-out effort to convince the Harper government to respect the fight-HST petition process and stop the new tax before it starts.

“British Columbians are making history with the first ever successful petition initiative, but the Harper government is ramming through the HST as if nothing is happening,” say New Democrat Deputy Leader, Libby Davies (Vancouver-East).

“It is my hope that people across the province will contact their Conservative and Liberal MPs and insists that their parties reverse their support for the HST and take a stand to stop it now,” said BC Southern Interior MP, Alex Atamanenko.

Atamanenko said it will be more difficult and expensive to undo the HST after it fully kicks in July 1st. “How can Stephen Harper and Gordon Campbell proceed with this tax when they know full well that the people of BC are determined to overturn it?” questioned the NDP MP.

Davies noted that every Conservative and Liberal MP from BC voted in December to impose the tax on British Columbia.

“Now that British Columbians have clearly expressed their views through the petition initiative, it’s time for the Conservative and Liberal MPs to listen to their constituents and take a stand against the tax,” said Davies.

“I would like to thank former Premier Bill Vander Zalm and all those volunteers from all political parties, who have been working hard to stop the implementation of this unwanted tax,” concluded Atamanenko.

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Rural RCMP Services: Statement in the House

June 10th, 2010

40th PARLIAMENT, 3rd SESSION
EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 060
CONTENTS
Thursday, June 10, 2010

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, federal policies restricting RCMP detachments from replacing officers on leave are placing hardships on communities in the Boundary area of my riding.

According to the mayor of Midway, Randy Kappes, only one of four local officers has been on duty in the last two weeks, and local citizens are concerned that crime is increasing.

Mayor Colleen Lang of Greenwood stated that this lower level of policing is causing concern in her community and that officers on leave should have a replacement.

According to Grace McGregor, the Kootenay Boundary regional director for Christina Lake, which is a tourist-dependent community, there is a desperate need for increasing the police presence.

Once again our rural communities are being deprived of vital services. According to Staff Sergeant Jim Harrison, the detachment used to have a budget that would cover overtime hours needed during periods of extra workload, but this is no longer the case. This funding needs to be restored to ensure that rural communities have sufficient resources to provide adequate police protection.

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William Shatner Joins New Democrat Campaign to Save Wild Salmon

June 10th, 2010

BC Southern Interior MP Alex Atamenko, in support of BC’s wild salmon, encourages readers to view the following press release, as well as this Globe and Mail article.

OTTAWA – Canadian film and television icon William Shatner has thrown his support behind New Democrat Fisheries and Oceans Critic Fin Donnelly’s efforts to save British Columbia’s wild salmon.

“West Coast wild salmon are part of the Canadian fabric, but they are in serious trouble,” Shatner said in a press conference today. “They face many threats, including sea lice from fish farms. The federal government can’t continue to ignore the plight of wild salmon. We must do everything possible to ensure these magnificent creatures are protected, and Fin Donnelly’s proposed legislation helps do that.”

“I’m thrilled to be working with Mr. Shatner,” said Donnelly. “He has been a vocal wild salmon advocate and his support demonstrates interest to see the federal government step up and deal with the threats to wild salmon before it is too late.”

The federal government will assume responsibility for the management and regulation of aquaculture in the Pacific region later this year.

A significant problem facing wild salmon is open-net fish farming. This practice allows large amounts of fish feces to pollute the sea floor and increases the problem of parasitic sea lice, which has a negative impact on migrating wild salmon.

To address this problem, Donnelly introduced Bill C-518, a private member’s bill, which would amend the Fisheries Act by requiring West Coast fish farm operators to transition to closed-containment systems within five years of the bill becoming law. Once law, the bill would also require the federal fisheries minister to develop, table and implement a transition plan within 18 months and all jobs in the industry would need to be protected during the transition.

“This is a very practical step the federal government can take to protect one of the most valuable wild fisheries left on earth,” said salmon activist and biologist Alexandra Morton. “I applaud William Shatner and Fin Donnelly for their astute leadership on this issue. I hope the government is listening.”

“Salmon are integral to many First Nation cultures and traditions,” said Chief Robert Chamberlin of the Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation. “It is time to err on the side of caution and move to closed containment. If the minister won’t do this, then she should step aside and let someone else who can take over.”

New Democrats believe environmental protection is an essential part of economic prosperity. “In fact, British Columbia’s and indeed Canada’s well-being depends on it,” said Donnelly.

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