Fisherman's Road

I posed the following question Thursday (March 28th) in the House of Commons. Mr. Speaker, Conservatives continue to make up stories, Mr. Speaker, they fail to take responsibility. We now learn senior ACOA officials fixed a hiring process so a political aide to the Defence minister could get a job he wasn't qualified for, hired because he was "a minister's staff person." It's blatant patronage, yet the minister fails to take responsibility. We did Conservatives break their promise to fight patronage. Mr. Speaker, Why are they putting their government's partisan interests ahead of the interests of Atlantic Canadians?

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MP Jack Harris (St. John's East) and I posed questions in the Commons Tuesday (March 26th), and while the Conservatives responded, they failed to actually answer the questions.

I gave the following 10-minute speech Monday (March 24th) in the House of Commons.  Mr. Speaker,  This latest federal Conservative budget is not a good one for Newfoundland and Labrador. From yet more cuts to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans — at this point they’re amputating bone, Mr. Speaker, there is no meat within DFO left to cut (I’ll come back to that in a moment) …  To charging tax on hospital parking — Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are already vicious with the fact they being charged to park outside hospitals, charged to see their doctors, in other words …  To increasing the age of eligibility for Old-Age Security to 67 from 65 …  This budget is not a good one for Newfoundland and Labrador.  Not good for the fisheries, not good for the sick or their families, not good for seniors.  It’s not good for First Nations, Mr. Speaker. Workfare is introduced in this budget whereby aboriginal youth will be forced t...

I gave the following one-minute statement today (March 25th) in the House of Commons. The votes are in and I'm proud to report that Labrador New Democrats have chosen Harry Borlase to represent them in the upcoming byelection. Harry was raised in Goose Bay, and he's an expert in polar law. Best of all, he's never had to resign due to massive election law violations. New Democrats believe it's up to Labradorians to exercise their democratic choice, but we also believe in letting the rule of law run its course. That's why Peter Penashue, after resigning in disgrace, should bow out of this campaign until Elections Canada, and possibly the RCMP complete their investigations into the dozens of illegal campaign donations he accepted. While the Conservatives field a self-admitted law breaker and a divided Liberal party squabbles over their candidate, New Democrats are proud to offer a positive alternative who Labradorians can trust. And a candidate who will...

Public Service Announcement Ryan Cleary MP – St. John’s South/ Mount Pearl For Information : 709-772-4608   Need a hand to prepare your tax return? Volunteers can help to prepare your income tax and benefit return IF you have a low income and a simple tax situation. FREE Tax clinics are available at RYAN CLEARY’s Constituency office 9   Commonwealth Avenue, Mount Pearl. TUESDAY: March 26 th .   From 6pm. -8 pm. and TUESDAY: APRIL 16 th . 6pm – 8pm. R esidents of St. John’s South/ Mount Pearl may also attend clinics at    Knights of Columbus:     7 Greenwood Cres. New Hope, Salvation Army Centre:    18 Springdale St. Royal Canadian Legion:     57 Blackmarsh Rd. The HUB:     21 Merrymeeting Rd For More Information: 1-800-959-8281   or 709-772-4608 ( Ryan Cleary Constituency Office

I posed the following questions today (March 22nd) during Question Period in the House of Commons. Question 1: Mr. Speaker, Labrador has been all over the national news lately. Unfortunately for Labradorians, none of it has been good. Back home, they're saying you can either do it the right way - or the Penashue. To make matters worse, Labradorians were also stiffed in yesterday's budget. Labrador is only mentioned once, and that's for an old jobs program. For Conservatives, Labrador is just a place to pull puppet strings. Mr. Speaker, Why was the Big Land forgotten in yesterday's budget. Question 2: The biggest collapse of world seal markets has happened under the Conservative watch, Mr. Speaker. The fact of the matter is this man Penashue broke the law, he cheated. As his time as an MP was coming to an end, Conservatives used his ministerial position to make a government announcement and gain an unfair advantage. He started a website; h...

I posed the following question Thursday (March 21 st ) during Question Period in the House of Commons. Mr. Speaker,   As of last week there’s a vacancy on the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board.   Reg Bowers, former campaign manager for Peter Penashue, resigned from the C-NLOPB just hours after Penashue stepped down as MP.   With the vacancy, I’m sure the Conservative puppet masters are waiting … patiently …until they can make their next appointment.   Mr. Speaker,   This time can the minister at least promise — and I ask this question on behalf of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians — that the next patronage appointment will not be an inexperienced, Conservative volunteer.

I posed the following question today (March 20th) during Question Period in the House of Commons. Peter Penashue has done everything he can to get a leg up for his re-election campaign. Even if it means cheating and breaking the rules. He used his ministerial office to make spending announcements, and gave himself an unfair advantage. He started campaigning before he even resigned. He is using the power of incumbency, which he only has because he cheated last time. Mr. Speaker, Labradorians can see through Conservative talking points ... How can they trust anything Conservatives say, when Conservatives are willing to say anything to give Peter Penashue an unfair advantage?

"Newfoundland and Labrador has taken nearly 64 years to start gaining the respect of the rest of Canada, as well as globally. I am now ashamed when passing through this (St. John's International) airport." - John Byrne, a resident of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, in a letter to the editor published in today's (March 14th) edition of The Telegram . *** I dropped by the airport picket line this morning - moral is up, as is public support. Drivers stopped while I was there to apologize and ask for permission to cross the line. The b'ys are in it to win it. The men and women on the line commented on the overwhelming support they receive from unionized NL workers headed to work in Alberta and Labrador, as well as the general public.  There's a poster tacked to the wall of the shed erected by the picketers that quotes the late Jack Layton: "Love, hope, optimism."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12 th , 2013 Cleary marks Cougar tragedy anniversary, more to be done St. John`s – On the four-year anniversary of the tragic crash of Cougar Flight 491, New Democrat MP Ryan Cleary is calling on the Conservatives to follow through on the chief recommendation of the 2010 Wells Inquiry Report to create an independent safety regulator for the offshore oil industry. “It’s incredibly important to remember the 17 victims of the 2009 Cougar crash and their families,” says Cleary (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl). “But it’s also critical to learn from the tragedy, to continually improve the safety conditions of workers involved in the offshore industry, which is so integral to our province.” Justice Robert Wells has said the most important recommendation from his 2010 report was for the creation of a new, stand-alone safety regulator in the Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador offshore. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board later ...

I posed the following question today (March 8th) during Question Period in the House of Commons. So, let's see if we have this straight, Mr. Speaker, because people are still shaking their heads: On one hand, Conservatives are sending EI inspectors to people's homes to spy on them, to check up on how many resumes they're sending out each week. On the other hand, Conservatives are taking away $2 billion in transfers to the province, transfers that help people get back to work, to retrain to reenter the workforce. Mr. Speaker, Why can't Conservatives see that unemployed Canadians need new skills to find a job, MORE than they need big brother spying on them?

I gave the followed 10-minute speech on Tuesday (March 5 th ) in the House of Commons. Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of today’s motion, as tabled by the honourable member for Toronto-Danforth, that immediate steps should be taken towards abolishing the Senate. One of the debates in this country involving the Senate – a debate that I followed as a young journalist covering former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Clyde Wells in the 1990s - was the debate over whether the Upper Chamber should be reformed into a Triple E model. Elected, equal and effective - a Triple E Senate. Today there’s no debate, Mr. Speaker, the Upper Chamber has become a Triple U Senate. Triple U as in unaccountable, unelected and unapologetic. Abolish it, Mr. Speaker. There is no alternative, the Senate is too far gone to save. It has become a gated country club, a political pasture, a golden handshake for friends of the Conservatives and Liberal parties, for fundraisers, for partis...

I gave the following speech Monday (March 4th) in the House of Commons on the Northern Jobs and Growth Act.

I posed the following question today (March 1st) on the floor of the House of Commons. Mr. Speaker, These partisan attacks on government websites make it clear that the Conservatives are running scared. Why else would they waste taxpayers' money, and government resources, attacking a New Democratic bill? It's a private members' bill, Mr. Speaker, it costs nothing. Instead of answering Canadians' calls for a national housing strategy ... people are hurting, Mr. Speaker ... the government is breaking its own rules and hiding behind partisan attacks. Mr. Speaker, When will Conservatives stop using the public service for political cheap shots?