Fisherman's Road

I gave the following speech on May 28th in the House of Commons. Mr. Speaker, I stand in opposition to the bill, the short title of which is the “Canadian museum of history act." The bill would amend the Museums Act to create the new crown corporation called the “Canadian museum of history," which would replace the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The bill also sets out the purpose of the new Canadian museum of history. In other words, the Canadian Museum of Civilization would be refocused and rebranded. That is a scary thought. The thought of any Conservative rebranding initiative is frightening. When I heard about this legislation, my first thought was that the Conservatives planned to put a big a blue C on the side of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, representing the Conservative action plan or, as more and more Canadians like to call it, the Conservative inaction plan. However, that is another speech. Maybe the Conservatives would put th

I posed the following question today (June 18th) during Question Period in the House of Commons. Hiding behind the Integrity Commissioner's investigation is not a response to blatant Conservative patronage. The Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation is just the tip of the patronage iceberg . ACOA has become a home for Conservative mismanagement, a home for ethical breaches and rigged hiring processes. The minister of Defence is playing political puppet master while hidng behind a report into Conservative patronage that his chief of staff - his chief of staff - tried to whitewash . Mr. Speaker, simple question - when are the Conservatives going to stop treating Atlantic Canadians like fools?

The following letter to the editor is published in today's Weekend Telegram. I’m writing in response to the June 13 th letter to the editor ( "Avalon-only candidates need apply" ) by Terry Burry of Glovertown. The point of Mr. Burry’s letter is that the Avalon Peninsula is overrepresented in Ottawa in terms of MPs and Senators, and that even our representative in the federal cabinet is a Nova Scotian. Former Labrador MP Peter Penashue may have left the incorrect impression that divisive politics (pitting Newfoundland against Labrador, for example) is the name of the game. I promote St. John’s South-Mount Pearl as the most precious riding in Canada, but I stand for all of Newfoundland and Labrador when I take to my feet in the House of Commons. It’s impossible to represent one region of the province when most constituents have ties to every nook and cranny. My chief concern is with our Senators, and the fact their allegiance is to the party that