Elect Tyler Kinch - NDP Candidate for Calgary Hays

With winter here, and no federal government announcement to extend funding for housing and homeless initiatives, Sault MP Tony Martin, the NDP social policy and poverty critic, pressed the government in Question Period Tuesday for a real plan. Here is the exchange.

Mr. Tony Martin (Sault Ste. Marie, NDP)
Mr. Speaker, since 1998 the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee declared homelessness a national disaster and 400 agencies from across the country agreed. The Liberal solution was to cut the funding for housing and the Conservatives have chosen huge corporate tax cuts instead of reinvesting in housing.

In Edmonton alone, 41 homeless people died last year. A homeless person died just this weekend in Montreal. This is a totally unnecessary disaster. When will the government establish a national housing strategy and when will it take these deaths seriously?

Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC)
Mr. Speaker, the strategy of the government is to take steps that make a difference in the lives of people, which is why, when we came to office, one of the first things we did was to invest heavily in affordable housing. There is $1.4 billion in the housing trust today. The government is investing more in affordable housing than any government in history. We have also put in place the homelessness partnering strategy. We believe that a roof over a person’s head is the place to start to give them a hand, $270 million for that. We understand how important it is to make sure that people who are living in poverty get a–

Mr. Tony Martin (Sault Ste. Marie, NDP)
Let us be clear, Mr.Speaker, that money came from the “NDP budget”, when we forced the Liberals to cancel their corporate tax cuts. The St. Michael’s Hospital says homeless people die at a rate 10 times higher than people living in homes.

Meanwhile, all of the programs, federal homelessness, federal housing rehab and affordable housing are set to expire in a few months. The minister should visit the streets, talk to homeless people and get a dose of reality , because winter is here. Where is the plan?,

Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, CPC)
Mr. Speaker, I hate to break it to the member, but the NDP has never been in power so there was no budget from the NDP. I need to tell the member that the New Democrats have no monopoly on concern when it comes to looking after the homeless. Last week I was meeting in Vancouver with groups who work on the streets to help people get a roof over their heads, give them the helping hand that they need so they can ultimately get out of the situation they are in.

We are concerned about this. We are pouring resources in. It is more than just rhetoric with this party. We are getting the job done.

Since the main stream media choose not to cover the NDP victory, but instead the Liberal loss, I’ve decided to post a video of the victory that is on YouTube.

Also check out Chantal Hébert’s and Shelia Copps’ take on the bylection. Thanks to The Wheatsheaf for the links.

OTTAWA (CP) - The light is fading on one of the great inventions of the 19th century, the incandescent bulb with its white-hot filament that sheds far more heat than light.

The federal government is following a number of other jurisdictions, including Australia, Ontario and California, in banning incandescent bulbs that have dominated the lighting market since the 1880s.

The outmoded products will be phased out by 2012 and a new generation of more efficient bulbs is ready to take their place.

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn says the ban will cut greenhouse emissions by more than six million tonnes of year. That’s about 0.8 per cent of Canada’s emissions.

Lunn said the ban will save homeowners about $60 annually in electricity costs.

…Â

New Democrat MP Paul Dewar said he put forward a private member’s bill several weeks ago calling a ban on inefficient light bulbs and it was rejected at the time. He said the government is lurching from announcement to announcement with no overall plan on climate change.Â

Canada.ComÂ

This is a very common sense approach, and I’m glad the government is on side with the NDP on this, even though they were not a few weeks back. I hope this is the start of many other initiatives taking place. As much as I hate the term, this is really a “win/win” situation for both the environment and consumer’s wallets.

Looks like the NDP has taken the next step in fighting ATM fees. This should generate an interesting debate in parliament and show what side the Finance Minister really stands on. ATM fees are unfair—Canadians should never be charged to access their own money. Let’s just hope that this ends the debate and the bill gets voted into law, and Canada can be a better country.

NDP