“Like all Canadians, I was grieved to hear that Constable Pham tragically succumbed to wounds sustained in the line of duty this afternoon in his capacity as a member of the Ontario Provincial Police.

Constable Pham dedicated his life to defending the peace and security we are so fortunate to enjoy. His loss reminds us of the considerable risk that the brave men and women in our police forces face every day on our streets, and the debt of gratitude that we owe to them all for the difficult work they do.

Constable Pham’s loss also underscores the need to remain vigilant in the fight against violent crime, so that we can keep both our communities, and the frontline officers that protect them, safe.

The thoughts and prayers of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus are with Constable Pham’s young family at this difficult time. We also express our condolences to his dedicated colleagues, who will undoubtedly miss him greatly.”

“International Women’s Day is an occasion to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women across the globe. Throughout this week, commemorative events across Canada will reflect on women’s progress over the decades, and the challenges that still remain before all women achieve true equality.

Only days ago, all Canadians proudly cheered on the remarkable success of our women athletes at the Vancouver Olympics. Sadly, government action hasn’t matched the achievements of our women. Women’s equality has taken a step back under the Conservative government’s regressive policies, which have led to a growing gender gap in this country.

Canada’s federal government should be leading by example by adopting policies and programs that help more women and girls to participate in all aspects of society. Only then will all women truly succeed – and when women succeed, all of Canada wins.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus – particularly the Liberal Women’s Caucus – I invite all Canadians to participate in events in their communities that celebrate women. And I encourage everyone to make every day women’s day by doing your part to ensure a bright, safe and prosperous future for all women and girls.”

Liberal Status of Women Critic Anita Neville added:

“International Women’s Day allows us – all of us – to reflect on the incredible achievements of women in Canada and around the world over the decades. Many women today enjoy a prosperity and freedom their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers could only dream of.

But that is not the whole story. This week is also a time to take a hard look at what still needs to be done to bring opportunity to all women. There are still far too many women – here at home and across the globe – living with poverty, prejudice and/or abuse, solely because they are women. The Harper government has not helped matters – they have attacked women’s rights to pay equity, left women out of their economic stimulus plan, dismantled child care agreements and failed to take concrete action or call an investigation into the national shame of more than 500 missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

Today, as with every day of the year, I wish success and health for all women.”

Your government’s decision to appoint Justice Iacobucci is an overdue admission that action must be taken to get to the bottom of the Afghan detainee scandal.

Justice Iacobucci’s reputation is beyond reproach and his record of public service speaks for itself. The problem lies not with Justice Iacobucci but with the job you have given him to carry out. We do not know what his mandate or deadline will be, and we do not know whether or how he will report to Parliament and the Canadian people.

Further, Justice Iacobucci will not be empowered to do his job adequately, unless the government gives him the mandate to hold a full public inquiry.

The Afghan detainee scandal is about much more than the government’s refusal to hand over to Parliament and the Canadian people the documents they need in order to get to the bottom of this sorry affair. It is about the government’s handling of the detainee issue from the beginning.

That is why on December 1, 2009, the House of Commons called for a full public inquiry, into the transfer of detainees in Canadian custody to Afghan authorities from 2001 to the present, in accordance with Part 1 of the Inquiries Act. Anything less will fail to provide Parliament and Canadians with the answers they are entitled to.

Under the process you have proposed, Justice Iacobucci could review documents provided to him by the government, but he would have no way of getting at the complete picture or even of knowing which documents should be made public.

A public inquiry would give him the power to demand materials from the government, to call witnesses and to subpoena testimony. An inquiry could establish the facts and make recommendations for the future.

Detainee transfer is sure to remain an issue of importance for future Canadian missions overseas, and it is vital that Parliament and Canadians learn from the mistakes of the past in order to prevent them from happening again.

Accordingly, I am writing to urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to appoint a full public inquiry, in accordance with Part 1 of the Inquiries Act, to report to Parliament and Canadians, in a timely manner, on the transfer of detainees in Canadian custody from 2001 to the present.

The reputation of Canada and of our proud serving men and women demands nothing less.

Sincerely,

Michael Ignatieff
Leader of the Official Opposition

“This budget offers what we’ve come to expect from Stephen Harper’s tired government: a lack of ambition and a clear distaste for what a government must do to help its citizens prepare for an uncertain future,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “This budget leaves too many Canadians to fend for themselves, and can’t hide the laissez-faire approach of a government that doesn’t believe in government.”

“This is not a budget that looks ahead to the challenges of our times – and it’s not a budget we can support,” Mr. Ignatieff continued. “We will vote against it, but we’re not going to cause an election. Since Canadians don’t want an election and it’s not in the national interest, we’ll register our opposition responsibly.”

On jobs and innovation, the budget comes up short and even plans for more job losses:

• The government’s job creation targets don’t make up for the 300,000 jobs already lost, or for the rise in unemployment forecasted in today’s budget.

• The Conservatives say they want to support small business growth, but they’re bringing in a $13 billion payroll tax hike that will kill 220,000 small business jobs.

Instead of taking real action on Canadians’ priorities, this budget offers gimmicks:

• $10 million to encourage volunteerism for seniors, but nothing concrete to fix pensions.

• A token $1 million for community war memorials, instead of helping veterans recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

• Making superficial tax changes to the universal child benefit, that low-income families and single parents won`t benefit from.

• A mere $25 million on clean energy, from a government that let 93% of its Green Infrastructure Fund go unspent last year.

Instead of investments in research, innovation or clean energy, this budget offers cuts:

• The Conservatives cut $148 million from Canada’s research councils in the last budget, but want to take credit for reinvesting $32 million this year.

• The cancellation of the EcoEnergy program for renewable power production.

• The Conservatives refused to let the Canada Space Agency spend $160 million in approved spending over the past two years, but want to take credit for adding $23 million in this budget.

Instead of curtailing excessive partisanship, this budget offers freezes:

• Cancelling $4.5 billion in planned Overseas Development Assistance when Canada is focused on development in Afghanistan and Haiti and pays lip service to maternal health in developing countries.

• Starting in 2011, freezing all government operating budgets across the board without any indication for how this will affect the programs and services Canadians rely on, while continuing to waste taxpayer dollars on government partisan advertising and consultants.

Instead of addressing Canadians’ most pressing issues, this budget offers no action:

• Nothing on pensions.

• Nothing on climate change or to create clean energy jobs.

• Nothing on health care and our aging demographics.

• Nothing on culture.

• Nothing on helping veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Nothing on the future of our digital economy.

• Nothing for New Canadians or to close the immigrant success gap.

“While this budget is a clear disappointment, our party is focused on building the better alternative for Canadians,” Mr. Ignatieff said. “We’ve made clear proposals on jobs and pensions, because we’re the party that stands with middle income Canadians, seniors, and families struggling to get by.”

“Our party will continue to develop the ideas, policies and concrete actions that should be brought forward by a responsible, caring and future-oriented government.”

During their reign, the Conservatives have proven that they are incapable of thinking big and that they have a narrow understanding of what the role of the government is. Their focus for five years has been on short-term transactions that any care-taker could deliver instead of formulating major goals. They have preferred to set a low bar of expectation and offered little to capture the imagination of Canadians.

Canadians understand that their government isn’t able to fix all problems. They know that there is no such things as a magic wand that would eliminate difficulties overnight. They also don’t expect “entitlements” or giveaways.

What Canadians expect and deserve is a government that is able to articulate their aspirations and dreams and deliver on them. That the reason why citizens pay taxes. It is because there is a collective understanding that when we pool our resources together we are able to accomplish much more than if we acted individually. However, when the government chooses to abandon its responsibilities to address major issues, Canadians are bound to wonder if they are getting their value out of their government.

This budget, like the previous ones, neglected to tackle the major themes our country is facing. Issues such as healthcare, infrastructure, environment, governance, poverty, education, jobs of the future, pension reforms among many others appear to have been slighted by this budget. This budget is timid and I don’t mean that it’s small. It actually projects another $54 billion deficit after the $56 billion for this year.

For example, the infrastructure spending that is included in the stimulus package in this budget was dedicated to small refurbishment projects instead of aiming to build new and much needed modern infrastructure that our country needs.

This budget is a disappointment especially at a time when Canadians need their government the most. What is even more unfortunate is the fact that the Conservatives promised Canadians a “recalibrated” government agenda as an excuse for shutting down parliament for 3 months. It’s difficult to reconcile what this budget delivered with what the Conservatives claimed was needed for shutting down parliament.

Canadians are entitled to be severely disappointed with this budget. The Conservatives appear like a tired government that has run out of steam.

The dryness of this budget is making me thirsty for new ideas.

“The government is responsible to the House of Commons, and not the other way around,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “Yet despite the anger of Canadians over the government’s decision to shut down Parliament, the Conservatives continue to silence and obstruct the duly-elected representatives of the people of Canada, this time by opposing steps to curtail the prorogation power.”

Following today’s Speech from the Throne, Mr. Ignatieff rose on a Point of Order to introduce the following motion:

“THAT this House hereby establishes a Special Committee, to be structured along the lines of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, and having all the powers of a standing committee, to conduct an immediate examination into the issue of prorogation, to advise the House on the circumstances in which it is appropriate for the Prime Minister to request that Parliament be prorogued, and to prepare changes to the Standing Orders or legislation or both and that the committee report to the House no later than April 15th, 2010.”

The unanimous consent motion was shouted down by Conservative MPs.

“This is a matter of constitutional principle,” Mr. Ignatieff concluded. “Do our Conservative colleagues believe the House is paramount in our system of democratic government? Or are they in thrall with the Prime Minister’s power to shut down Parliament whenever the government feels like it?”

“The Conservatives needed to shut down Parliament for three month to come up with this?” asked Mr. Ignatieff. “Canadians were promised a focus on jobs and innovation, but all we get are rehashed, empty bromides.”

The Liberals have proposed specific job proposals, including incentives for hiring young workers, boosting job creating productivity for manufacturers, and tax incentives for investing in start-ups.

“While the Throne Speech offers platitudes about barriers to growth for small businesses, the only concrete proposal on offer from the Conservatives is a $13 billion, job-killing payroll tax hike,” said Mr. Ignatieff.

Last year, the government promised to create 190,000 new jobs. The Throne Speech claims that the economy added 135,000 net new jobs since July 2009, but this only goes back to the bottom of the recession, ignoring over 300,000 people who have lost their jobs since October 2008.

“What’s significant is what’s not in the Throne Speech,” continued Mr. Ignatieff. “No specific measures aimed at creating jobs. No specific investments in research and development. Nothing new on clean energy. Nothing on pensions. Nothing on culture. And nothing on helping our veterans recover from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

The Conservatives have no credibility when it comes to innovation.

They have:

• Cut $148 million from Canada’s research councils in the last budget;

• Let Canada fall from the second to the tenth position in internet connectivity;

• Overseen a decline in Canada’s investments in Research & Development as proportion of GDP has declined steadily since 2005;

• Lapsed $160 million in approved spending for the Canada Space Agency – spending that could have supported innovation in Canada’s $24-billion aerospace sector;

• Axed the position of National Science Advisor, and

• Overseen Canada’s fall to 14th out of 17 peer countries when it comes to innovation performance.

“The Conservatives have a lot of catching up to do. We’ll wait to see if the budget has anything more substantial to offer,” Mr. Ignatieff concluded.

“I want to congratulate all the athletes that took part in the Olympic Games. Each of these performances made the Olympic spirit live once again“, said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

“It is with great pride that we say farewell to the 2010 games and congratulate all participants for representing Canada with such talent, enthusiasm and vigour on the international stage. And we thank all of the families and coaches that have supported our athletes every step of the way, helping them deliver performances of a lifetime at the Olympics.“

“Following a magnificent gold medal win by our men’s hockey team, we can truly say that these games brought Canadians from coast to coast to coast together in a show of patriotism that was truly inspiring. Whether it was our athletes who gave it their all to make us the country that won the most gold medals in any winter games, or the thousands of volunteers, the organizing committee, the Aboriginal communities, or the fans, everyone can be proud of how we welcomed the world to our doorstep, and made these games such a success.“

“On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus, I salute all Canadians who made these games their own, and showed the world what a great host nation we can be. I also look ahead with great anticipation to the upcoming Paralympic games starting March 12th, when we will once again wow the world with our pool of talent and Canadian hospitality.”

“It has been a great joy to welcome the world to my city, and I am so very proud of everyone who participated in these games,” said Ms. Murray. “It’s because of the dedication and patriotism displayed by all – from the athletes, volunteers and organizers, to the exuberant fans right across the country – that these games have been an unprecedented success. I have never been so proud to call Vancouver and Canada my home. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is something I and all Canadians will not soon forget. Congratulations to all.”

“My condolences go out to the citizens of Chile following the serious earthquake that hit their country early this morning.

As we wait for more information on the extent of the losses and brace for any aftershocks, we stand ready to offer our support and assistance to help the people of Chile recover from this disaster.

We stand vigilantly with Chile and other coastal nations and communities who are on alert following warnings about the potential after-effects of the quake.

On behalf of the Liberal Party and our Parliamentary caucus, we offer our thoughts and prayers to the Chilean people, the Chilean-Canadian community, and all those with family and loved ones who may be affected by the quake.”

“This report says everything that Stephen Harper doesn’t want to talk about and doesn’t want Canadians thinking about because it highlights the inadequacy of his governing mentality,” said Mr. McCallum. “Canada’s long-term challenges show how Mr. Harper’s day-to-day tactics will fail us in the long run, because our government cares only about the next election at the expense of a secure future.”

“Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party know that Canadians want a secure and prosperous future, which is why we’re charting a course for our country’s future direction at next month’s Canada at 150 conference in Montreal.”

The PBO report shows that an aging population and shrinking workforce will contribute to a rising level of government debt over the course of the century, resulting in servicing fees that will eventually consume roughly a quarter of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product.

During the two month prorogation of Parliament, Liberal Members of Parliament have been in Ottawa tackling many of the issues that the PBO report raises including improving Canada’s productivity, retirement income security, the rising costs of healthcare and health prevention and promotion.

“While Stephen Harper has been enjoying his two-month prorogation vacation, Michael Ignatieff and his team have been working to make sure that Canada is ready to face the challenges of tomorrow,” said McCallum. “Canadians can already see the differences between Mr. Harper’s divisive, short-term partisanship and Mr. Ignatieff’s vision for long-term prosperity.”

“It’s this Minister who put us on a reckless path in the first place,” said Mr. McCallum. “Forty-year mortgages with no down-payment requirements are a recipe for financial disaster for many Canadians. Fully half of the mortgages taken out in the first half of 2008 were for 40 years.

“Mr. Flaherty put us at risk of being overleveraged and exposed Canadians to the lending practices in the U.S. that led to the complete breakdown of their economy. The only thing he is doing with this announcement today is attempting to correct his own mistakes,” said Mr. McCallum.

It was in May 2006 that Mr. Flaherty, in talking about the opening up of the Canadian mortgage market to the same U.S. mortgage insurers that sparked the recession, said the following: “On mortgage insurance, we believe in competition. We think that the provisions in Bill C-13 will increase competition in this area, that it is adequately regulated, and that more competition is good for this part of our economy.” (Hansard, Finance Committee, May 30, 2006)

He allowed the down-payment threshold to fall from 10 percent to zero, and allowed amortizations of 40 years. In 2008, he had to reverse himself, and lowered that to 35 years and five percent.

Mr. Flaherty’s contention that these new provisions were adequately regulated was contradicted by Mark Tonnesen, the former CEO of insurance company Triad Guarantee: “There was a lack of regulation around the expansion of increased risk.” (Globe and Mail, published December 13, 2008)

“Now that Mr. Flaherty has acknowledged that he should never have thrown open the doors to American style mortgages in 2006, it is crucial that he keep a very vigilant eye on the housing market,” said Mr. McCallum.

“After all, it is the value of many Canadians’ homes and significant amounts of their retirement nest eggs that hang in the balance because of the decisions he made four years ago.”

In his letter, Mr. Ignatieff directly expresses the dismay of Canadians that Parliament is not currently sitting, and encourages the Prime Minister to create a special committee to review the Liberal party’s recommended prorogation reforms.

“Mr. Harper sacrificed his entire legislative agenda simply to avoid the kind of accountability and transparency he once promised to deliver,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “That’s why our party has come forward with a proposal to place reasonable and responsible limits on the Prime Minister’s ability to request a prorogation, and limits on the overall impact of prorogation.”

The Liberal Leader also put forward a number of policy proposals arising from the recent “Liberals are Working” policy roundtables, in addition to those announced over the past several months.

“Over the past month, Liberals have hosted 24 public hearings that have produced a wealth of substantial policy proposals from Canadians of all political stripes,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “We’re putting forward a number of these proposals to provide the basis for a productive session of Parliament – assuming that Mr. Harper is interested in making our minority Parliament work.”

Mr. Ignatieff encouraged the Prime Minister to implement the following initiatives:
• Job creation proposals to support manufacturers and young Canadians, and to encourage investment in start-up companies;
• Increase investments in clean energy and energy efficiency;
• Adopt a made-in-Canada climate change plan, including a binding and verifiable cap-and-trade system with hard caps, absolute reductions, and fairness to all industries and regions;
• Reform pensions to help Canadians save more and protect Canadians whose pension income is threatened by employer bankruptcy;
• Strengthen oversight of our independent watchdog agencies;
• Reaffirm the principle of equal pay for work of equal value as a non-negotiable right;
• Call an investigation into the national shame of missing and murdered Aboriginal women;
• Increase supports for Canadian veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder;
• Develop a National Neurological Strategy to address Alzheimer’s and dementia;
• Reaffirm Canada’s traditional support for a woman’s right to access contraception and reproductive health services as part of the maternal health initiative;
• Protect victims of white collar crime with measures like mandatory restitution and tax relief;
• Pursue proven crime-prevention solutions that reduce crime, prevent victimization and enhance community safety; and
• Provide the public with transparency over the government’s role in the transfer of Afghan detainees by reconstituting and ending Conservative boycotts of Parliament’s Afghanistan committee, and respect the will of Parliament by handing over unredacted documents in a manner that protects legitimate claims of national security.
“This Parliament has important work to do and can still achieve results for Canadians,” concluded Mr. Ignatieff.

View the letter to Prime Minister Harper