Tag: ndp

NDP Convention: 2-05-13 Resolution on Improving Pipeline Safety and Environmental Protection

The NDP convention in Montreal considered the following:

2-05-13 Resolution on Improving Pipeline Safety and Environmental Protection

Submitted by Burnaby—New Westminster

WHEREAS the Conservatives have used numerous omnibus budget bills to weaken environmental protections in order to fast track major energy projects;

WHEREAS the construction of large scale oil pipelines for export of raw bitumen amounts to the export of tens of thousands of value added processing jobs from Canada; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT New Democrats condemn the reckless gutting of environmental assessments through Conservative changes to the Fisheries Act, National Energy Board Act, Navigable Waters Protection Act, and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT New Democrats reaffirm their commitment to thorough, evidence based reviews of proposed energy pipeline projects and that full public consultation must be open and accessible to all concerned;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT any construction or maintenance of energy pipelines should be based on the highest safety standards; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the NEB should be directed to consider the impacts of proposed pipelines on the sustainability of the environment and of value-added processing of resources.

Delegate from Hamilton-Mountain spoke in favour of this.

Barry Weisleder of the socialist caucus spoke against this.

Another delegate from Quebec’s eastern townships. Complained about a 70-year-old pipeline that carries oil from Maine to Montreal. Notes that he drives a car that runs on gas and that’s not going to change tomorrow. Have to protect on pipeline safety.

Motion passes.

Comparing New Democrat and Liberal leadership numbers

The New Democratic Party of Canada and the Liberal Party of Canada have substantially different party constitutions, relationships with provincial parties, and finances. And, yet, it seems irresistible to make some comparisons between the NDP leadership race of 2011-2012 and the Liberal leadership race of 2012-2013. So let’s do that.

Here is a table which shows the total number of eligible voters in each province. Eligible voters are not actual voters . We will not have a final count of actual voters in the Liberal race until Sunday April 14. We do know that, as of today at around 1 pm, the total number of actual voters in teh Liberal race eclipsed the total number of voters in any one of the four ballots in the NDP race last year. Continue reading Comparing New Democrat and Liberal leadership numbers

The job-killing carbon tax. Again and again and again.

Speaker's Parade
The Sergeant-at-Arms carries the Mace into the House of Commons during the Speakers Parade at Parliament Hill in Ottawa Jan 28 2013, the first day of the new year for MPs. The Speaker of the House of Commons, Hon. Andrew Scheer follows on the right. (Andre Forget/QMI Agency)

We now have Hansard for the first week of 2013 in the House of Commons. Each day, there is a 45-minute Question Period. You’ve seen this. It generally gets the most media attention of any daily event on the Hill.

But just before Question Period gets underway (at 2:15 pm ET M-TH and 11:15 am on Fri) there is a 15-minute period for Members’ Statements. This period is provided for under Standing Order 31 so these statements are often referred to on the Hill as “S.O. 31s.”  The Conservatives mostly, but exclusively, are now using this period to bludgeon their opponents. (See my earlier post for more explanations: “The evolution of the SO31: From happy thoughts to political mud fights”) Used to be that Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals were the objects of the Conservative SO 31 ire. No more. Here’s what those of us who are paid to watch that 15-minute period of SO 31s have been suffering through for the first five days of this year in Parliament (and have every expectation of suffering through for many more days to come). I’ve excerpted just the juicy “carbon tax” bits … Continue reading The job-killing carbon tax. Again and again and again.

Audio: Thomas Mulcair says progressives should rally to the NDP banner

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, flanked by his House leader Nathan Cullen and his Whip Nycole Turmel, takes questions from reporters after the final NDP caucus meeting of 2012. (David Akin)

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair spoke to reporters for about 25 minutes after the final NDP caucus meeting of 2012. Here’s the audio of the English-language questions and responses. He touches on co-operationg with the left, Syria, F35s, and C-377. Continue reading Audio: Thomas Mulcair says progressives should rally to the NDP banner

Glenn Thibeault's SO 31 of the Year: The Conservative Car Tax!

Yesterday in the House of Commons, Glenn Thibeault, the NDP MP from Sudbury, Ont. delivered the following “S.O. 31”, which I’m picking as the early favourite this holiday season to win the Oscar for SO31 of the year.

You can read up here on the running “S.O. 31” battle between New Democrats and Conservatives.

NDP Nexen decision a boneheaded political move

Today, the federal NDP held a Parliament Hill press conference during which MPs Peter Julian and Hélène LeBlanc announced, for the first time, that New Democrats believe the federal government ought to reject a $15-billion bid by the Chinese state-owned firm CNOOC for the Calgary-based oil-and-gas producer Nexen. 

In doing this, they certainly have public opinion on their side. Two Abacus Data polls commissioned by Sun News Network show the idea of the Chinese taking over Nexen is deeply unpopular in every region of the country and among supporters of all parties. (Poll 1 | Poll 2)

This was a boneheaded move politically from a party that, in my judgement, has made some otherwise very smart moves to counter any number of stereotypes its political opponents are trying to foster that an NDP government would kill jobs, investment and prosperity.

Continue reading NDP Nexen decision a boneheaded political move

A cynical take on some recent NDP communications tactics

I’ve long maintained that, from a political operations and communications standpoint, the federal Conservatives and New Democrats are, in many ways, mirrors of each other. The parties stand, of course, for very different things but, to give one example, they both approach political marketing and messaging with similar discipline, objectives, and operational smarts matched only by their Conservative counterparts.

Latest case in point: Continue reading A cynical take on some recent NDP communications tactics

Is it personal between Joe Oliver and Megan Leslie? Leslie says: "Yeah."

The NDP’s Megan Leslie reviews the spring sitting in Parliament while the National Citizens Coalition’s Stephen Taylor gets asked: Is it time the Conservatives took the New Democrats — ahead or tied with the Tories in several recent polls — more seriously? Continue reading Is it personal between Joe Oliver and Megan Leslie? Leslie says: "Yeah."