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Regional Tariff Response Meeting

This week I joined MLAs Josie Osborne and Stephanie Higginson, locally elected Chiefs, Mayors, Chambers of Commerce, and economic development leaders for our second regional tariff response meeting since the federal election. A concern highlighted at the meeting was escalating costs for approved infrastructure projects because of the trade war. Open lines of communication between all levels of government will be critical to ensure projects can move forward, create jobs, and grow our economy. We also spoke about some of the trade missions taking place to find new markets for BC products. The response to US trade actions will continue to be a key priority when I return to Ottawa next week and I will be bringing a Vancouver Island perspective with me.

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Moose Hide Campaign Day

Yesterday, I was pleased to attend the annual Moose Hide Campaign Day ceremonies in Victoria. The Moose Hide campaign engages men and boys in ending violence towards women and children. One of my first actions when elected in 2015 was to carry moose hide pins to Ottawa for distribution to Parliamentarians on behalf of co-founders, Raven and Paul Lacerte.
Every year there are over 60,000 physical or sexual assaults against women in BC — more than 1,000 per week. One in three women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime (Stats Canada, 2006). Since its inception in 2011, the Moose Hide Campaign has distributed over two million moose hide pins and helped raise millions of dollars to support community awareness programs. I was honoured to join Port Alberni Friendship Centre Executive Director, Cyndi Stevens on this wonderful occasion.
Raven and Paul are loading me down with a new shipment of pins for my trip to Ottawa, where I look forward to distributing them to my colleagues in the House of Commons. For more info about the Moose Hide Campaign and how to support them go here: https://bit.ly/43dw6hj

NDP recognizes Mental Health Week

“During Mental Health Week, the NDP stands with all Canadians dealing with mental illness and struggling to access the support they need.
This year’s theme is “Unmasking Mental Health” in recognition of the stigma that still exists around mental illness. The impact of stigma is wide ranging – from preventing people from reaching out for help to the chronic underfunding of mental healthcare.
We are all touched by mental health issues, either directly or through someone we care about. Yet, our universal healthcare system continues to exclude essential mental health services leaving too many Canadians without the care they need.
In the last Parliament, I introduced the first-ever bill to address the disparity between physical and mental health under the Canada Health Act. When the House of Commons returns this month, the NDP will continue this fight.
Canadians know that mental health is health. It’s time to ensure that’s finally reflected in our public healthcare system.” -- Gord Johns, Courtenay-Alberni

Met with BC Provincial Ministers

I was pleased to have meaningful discussions in Victoria this week with provincial ministers Ravi Parmar, Josie Osborne and Sheila Malcolmson, MLA; and BC NDP caucus chair Stephanie Higginson, MLA for Ladysmith-Oceanside. Needless to say, we covered a lot of ground with a focus on the kind of support that I can provide in Parliament for provincial initiatives that will impact the people of Courtenay-Alberni in both economic and social sectors.

These included--but were not limited to--mitigative measures to combat the Trump tariffs such as the federal biomass tax credit, the recruitment of new doctors and nurses through increased health transfers, federal conservation and infrastructure funding, continuation of childcare expansion, funding for employment readiness, softwood lumber loan relief, health transfers, affordable and emergency housing and restorative justice. The list is too exhaustive to include in this post. I also appreciated running into BC Ferries Board Chair Joy MacPhail, taking the occasion to discuss the importance of federal investment in the replacement of our aging fleet. I will continue pushing to ensure Ottawa delivers the support our region needs and deserves.

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