Speaker of the Senate George J. Furey welcomes key Canadian organizations working in Haiti at an event this evening featuring a photo exhibit by volunteer advisors working abroad. Guests will include Frantz Liautaud, Haiti’s ambassador to Canada; Kurdy Lareche, Haiti’s consul general in Montreal; and Canadian parliamentarians. “It is a great honour to welcome this exceptional photo exhibit that … Read more
On April 19, Independent Senator Pierrette Ringuette tabled an amendment to the third report of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (Senate budget for 2016-2017) asking that the passage of the report be postponed until the full, detailed budget can be reviewed by senators and that their concerns be addressed. The amendment … Read more
Senators Jim Munson and Leo Housakos welcome participants in the Canadian Autism Leadership Summit to Parliament Hill. In hosting a reception to bring together parliamentarians with persons with Autism and their advocates and families, the senators are giving the voices of the autistic community a chance to be heard. In the 2007 Senate report Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism … Read more
Conservative Senator Denise Batters expressed cautious optimism that government legislation on physician-assisted suicide is not as wide-ranging as had been expected. “Clearly, the opposition from Conservative Parliamentarians and concerned Canadians forced the Trudeau Government to rethink some of the more outrageous recommendations made by the majority of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on this issue,” said Batters. “I still … Read more
The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Conservative Senator Claude Carignan, launched Question Period on April 13 by with questions to the Senate’s guest, Transport Minister Marc Garneau (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que.) on Transport Canada’s failure to warn local officials of the 500 highest risk railway crossings in Canada. He asked Garneau to commit to sharing this … Read more
The Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources is undertaking a new study that will examine the effects of transitioning to a low carbon economy. The committee has scheduled public hearings on this pivotal issue, with the intention of making recommendations to assist the federal government in meeting its carbon reduction objectives … Read more
Conservative Senator Denise Batters congratulated Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay-Superior North, Ont.) on being named the Champion of Mental Health Parliamentarian for 2016 from the Canadian Alliance of Mental Illness and Mental Health. Batters was the award winner in 2015. “I offer my congratulations to Minister Hajdu on this prestigious honour,” Batters said. “I encourage … Read more
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade tabled its report, Taking Action Against Human Rights Violators in Russia. The report is based on testimony the committee received on 10 March 2016 from three high-profile advocates for democracy in Russia: William Browder, Head of the International Justice Campaign for Sergei Magnitsky and author … Read more
Twelve days after officially forming the Independent Non-Partisan Working Group, Senators Diane Bellemare, Jacques Demers, Elaine McCoy, Pierrette Ringuette, Michel Rivard and John Wallace announced that Senator Elaine McCoy will be the first Facilitator for the Working Group, which has decided that each member will assume the role of faciltitor on a rotational basis in keeping … Read more
Federal government departments should provide more information to Parliament about program spending and show in greater detail how their spending yields value for money, the Senate Committee on National Finance said in a report released. The committee analyzed the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the 2015-2016 fiscal year and the Main Estimates for the 2016-2017 fiscal … Read more
