News

By Lexi Bainas

Local leaders behind bars! Phil Kent in the slammer as the Cowichan Gang hits the cells -- for a good cause, of course.

And he's not alone. Other offenders who'll be unceremoniously incarcerated on a host of amazing charges include Cowichan Chief Lydia Hwitsum, MP Jean Crowder, MLA Bill Routley, Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Len Roy and Chamber President Candace Fontana, President of Duncan/Cowichan Chamber of Commerce plus Paul Slade who donated a kidney to his son and Stu Keeping who recently received a kidney from his son and others.

By Jorge Barrera

The leader of the country's most prominent First Nations organization on Thursday raised the temperature on a simmering controversy sparked by the prime minister, when he said Canada had "no history of colonialism."

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo dismissed the government's defence of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's statement and demanded a meeting to discuss it.

By Mike Aiken

There's no reason for such decrepit schools on First Nations like Wabaseemoong to be within an hour's drive of Kenora, and there are definitely ways for the community to share in the benefits of forestry. These were some of the comments from NDP member Jean Crowder, as she toured Kenora District in support of local candidate Tania Cameron on the weekend.

"What you've got is a community in serious transition," she said Saturday evening, after a full day of visits.

You’ve done it many times. At a community meeting, or a fall fair, you’ve stopped at a booth and signed your name to a petition.

They are one of the most common methods people use to let politicians know what issues are important to members of their community.

When I receive a petition from my constituents, it first needs to be certified by the Clerk of Petitions to ensure it is correct in form and content.

By: Jean Crowder

British Columbia has lost 65 sawmills, four pulp mills and 20,000 jobs in the forestry industry since 2001. With a spinoff effect of about one to three, this means a loss of 60,000 jobs.

That is tens of millions of dollars of revenue that is no longer being sent to government coffers to help pay for health care and education.
Jim Sinclair, head of the BC Federation of Labour recently said that forestry contributes close to 40 percent of B.C.'s exports and 25 percent of our GDP.

By Jean Crowder

This was a constituency week for MPs, a chance to come back to the ridings and connect with our neighbours. Many of the comments I heard this week were around employment insurance and the big holes in this social security net.

Almost two-thirds of people paying into EI are not eligible for benefits when they need them.

The NDP used its Opposition Day to ask all MPs to support the following changes so EI could support all Canadians who need it during this economic downturn:
1. Eliminate the two-week wait to receive benefits.

By Jean Crowder

Credit card rates unfair to consumers.

According to a recent poll by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, eighty percent of people with credit cards in British Columbia want tighter controls on credit card companies.

The NDP agrees. During this Parliament, we’ve been pointing out the many ways the average consumer is overcharged by financial institutions.

The Conservative government continues to allow credit card companies to enforce unfair rates, even at a time when families are worried about just making ends meet.

BY: Robert Barron

Jean Crowder wants people to write Prime Minister Stephen Harper to pressure his government to improve Canada's Employment Insurance program.

The MP for Nanaimo-Cowichan said the EI program must be revamped to help many across the country, including forestry workers in her own riding who lost their jobs during the ongoing global economic crisis.

By Jean Crowder

For many years, mental health and wellness has been the forgotten part of our health care system.

Each year, up to one in five Canadians experiences a diagnosable mental health problem. In Lake Cowichan, that means more than 600 people a year need access to mental health services.

While some people will experience a short-term illness that is easily dealt with by their family doctor, other mental illnesses need the services of a specialist.

By Christina Spencer

The troubled Truth and Reconciliation Commission, created less than a year ago to give aboriginal victims of residential-school abuse a forum to tell their stories, will cost taxpayers about $3.4 million before it even begins its hearings.

Between $321,000 and $377,800 of that will be salaries for two commissioners who recently agreed to step down, but who will stay on the payroll until June 1 to write a report on their brief tenure. "I think that's a lot of money to pay for a report, given the short duration of the appointment," said NDP aboriginal affairs critic Jean Crowder. "There hasn't been a significant amount of work done."