Despite the smaller size of the Liberal Caucus we have kept up our fight against the ideological Conservative government. This winter session, in spite of voting against them, we have seen the passage of several disturbing pieces of legislation including the Omnibus Crime Bill and back-to-work legislation for Air Canada employees.
We have spoken against the fast-tracking of environmental assessments for major oil, gas and mining projects as well as the removal of any reference to “fish habitats” from the Fisheries Act. These measures will put our salmon at risk. We are clear in our concern about the lack of consultation with First Nations on the Enbridge pipeline, which is a constitutional imperative.
As Liberal Health Critic, I have been calling on the government to take action on the ongoing prescription drug shortage in Canada. I flagged this early last year and the Conservatives have done nothing. The Conservatives are asking pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily let them know if there will be a disruption in supply. We have seen this to be ineffective given that generic drug company Sandoz Canada failed to notify Health Canada when they were experiencing a shortage.
Our Caucus has also worked hard to reach out to Canadians, and I have been doing health care town halls in Vancouver and across the country. Many Liberal MPs are visiting British Columbia in the coming weeks including Environment Critic Kirsty Duncan, Housing Critic John McCallum, Fisheries Critic Lawrence MacCaulay, and House Leader Marc Garneau.
We punch well above our weight in Ottawa and have a credibility and influence that gives us hope for forming a government.
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