At a time when ordinary Canadians are working to make ends meet, or are sadly having to struggle to find work, they need to know their MPs are working for them. That’s what New Democrats have been doing in this session – taking action to get pragmatic solutions adopted and hold the Harper government to account.

Action for consumers

Motion to protect credit card holders: [3] Secured passage of Glenn Thibault’s (Sudbury) motion calling on the government to enact legislation to protect consumers from abusive credit card fees and penalties; “any time, any reason” interest rate increases; and account changes.

Passenger Bill of Rights: [4] Jim Maloway’s (Winnipeg-Transcona) bill to prevent airlines from passing on hidden fees to passengers and giving them the right to receive refunds for excessive delays passed the Commons and is being studied by committee.

Securing your right to repair your car: [5] Brian Masse’s (Windsor West) bill to give people the right to have their car repaired where and when they want passed second reading. This bill effects everyone who owns a vehicle as well the enforcement environmental regulation and public safety rules.

Protecting our kids from “candy tobacco”: [6] The Government adopted Judy Wasylycia-Leis’ private members bill to ban flavoured tobacco targeted at children.

Action for economic security

Improving and protecting pensions: [7] Passed Wayne Marston’s (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek) retirement security motion calling on the government to improve pension protection by putting workers’ pension funds first of creditors in the event of bankruptcy proceedings, expanding CPP, OAS and GIS, plus introducing a self-financing pension insurance plan.

Dignity for our Veterans: [8] Peter Stoffer (Sakville-Eastern Shore) pressured the government to fix the unfairness for veterans and their spouses. As a result, the government introduced a bill to extend benefits to veterans and their families.

Action for working people and the middle class

Practical reform for Employment Insurance: [9] Passed Chris Charlton’s (Hamilton-Mountain) motion make sure that people who need Employment Insurance in the recession get the benefits they’ve paid into for so long.

Increasing fairness for the unemployed: [10] Carole Hughes’ (Algoma-Manitoulin- Kapuskasing) to bring fairness to EI eligibility rules across the country was passed at second reading. The bill also establishes the 12 best weeks from the qualifying period as the reference for the calculation of benefits.

Stood up for the Middle Class: [11] Undertook a 14 city Middle Class Taskforce tour to hear how the economic crisis is affecting the daily life of ordinary people. Task force co-chairs Megan Leslie (Halifax) and Thomas Mulcair (Outremont) took back the best ideas for how Ottawa could help.

Action to secure our economic future

Building the foundation for a Green Job recovery: [11] Launched a major 12 city Economic Recovery tour to hear ideas on how to remake Canada as a leader in areas like green technology and manufacturing innovation in the 21st century global economy.

Fairness for forestry workers: [12] John Rafferty (Thunder Bay-Rainy River) introduced a motion to end the US “Black Liquor” subsidy to their pulp and paper industry so that Canadian paper companies are no longer at a 50% price disadvantage.

Action to hold the Conservatives to account

Forced the Conservatives to respond to the economic crisis: When Conservatives tried to use the economic downturn to play politics while jobs were at risk, New Democrats led the opposition against them. As a result the government put forward a stimulus package – one that still doesn’t help a single new applicant get Employment Insurance, and has been too slow in creating new jobs.

Setting targets to end environmental neglect: [13] New Democrats succeeded in getting Bruce Hyer’s (Thunder Bay–Superior North) Climate Change Accountability Act to pass at 2nd reading. The bill legislates practical targets to cut greenhouse gases in Canada.

Fought for the rights of Canadians detained abroad: [14] Relentless advocacy by Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) to repatriate Canadian citizen Abousfian Abdelrazik resulted in his motion ordering the government to return him to Canada adopted at Foreign Affairs committee, and ultimately saw the Government give in to a court order to brings this Canadian citizen back to Canada.

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