Jean's Posts

Ms. Jean Crowder (Nanaimo—Cowichan, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and heavy hearts that we mark the fifth anniversary of the Sisters in Spirit vigil. October 4 is the day to honour the lives of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, and their families.

The latest information shows that this human rights crisis is not slowing down. The Native Women's Association of Canada has identified over 582 aboriginal women and girls who have gone missing or have been murdered, up 520 from five years ago. That means that aboriginal women and girls go missing or are victims of murder seven times more often than non-aboriginal women.

Jean Crowder hopes a private member's bill introduced on Friday by NDP MP Charlie Angus will bridge the divide between opponents and supporters of the long-gun registry.

Crowder, MP for Nanaimo-Cowichan, said the NDP is attempting through the bill to make it more palatable to rural Canadians by decriminalizing the failure to register long-guns in the nation's database.

After easily passing in a preliminary vote last November, a Conservative private member's bill to kill the registry was defeated in a 153-151 vote three weeks ago.

By Peter Rusland - Cowichan News Leader Pictorial

CN’s alleged gouging in freight-rail rates has Cowichan MP Jean Crowder urging locals to demand action from the feds.

“It’s a question we raised in the House about the government taking CN on, and the minister had no response.

“We’re not going to let it go. That was just the start.

People also have to take the government to task on this.”

Stopping the Canadian horse slaughter is the goal of those organizing a protest planned for Nanaimo Monday.

A noon demonstration at Diana Krall Plaza is timed to coincide with protests being staged across Canada.

Organizers want to raise awareness of Bill C-544, tabled by MP Alex Atamanenko (B.C. Southern Interior), the NDP agriculture critic and pressure Ottawa to ban killing horses for meat that is then exported to Europe.

Activists say videos secretly taken inside two large Canadian abattoirs prove the animals are not being killed humanely.

By: Krista Siefken - Cowichan News Leader Pictorial

Recent flooding in Newfoundland and the north island may bring back memories of Duncan’s 2009 flood.

It certainly reminds Cowichan MP Jean Crowder of the troubles some valley residents had in accessing flood relief.

She called on the government to do better Tuesday afternoon.

“When floods happened in Duncan in (November), our community was shocked at the news that landlords would not be eligible for federal assistance,” she said in the House.