Two years as MP for Willowdale

Two years!!

It figures that I was so busy with work, yesterday, on the actual 2nd anniversary of getting elected, that I didn't have time to write a note about it here. I will confess, however, to ending the day with (what better?) some Guiness at the residence of the Irish Ambassador to Canada. If I remember correctly, green beer was flowing in celebration 2 years ago. St. Patrick's Day will always hold an even more special place in my heart than it used to.

Thank you to all those who have sent such great messages of good wishes.

After two years (it feels like yesterday), I want to say something about how wonderful it is to have been elected.

As corny as it may sound, it is an extraordinary honour and privilege to be an elected Member of Parliament, in this great country of ours. Every day that I walk into these beautiful buildings, I pause, I look around, and I say to myself, "Wow---I get to work here."

I have learned so much. I have learned about how MPs lead 2 lives--one in the constituency, doing what we can to help our consituents with their relationships with the federal government (and all sorts of other things :-)); and a second, very different life, that we lead as legislators in Ottawa, working to keep the government to account, making suggestions for improvement, working on our committees, researching and analyzing proposed legislation (with the great help of our teams) and then voting accordingly; engaging in debates in the House--the list goes on. I have also learned a great deal about the many, many issues that affect Canadians; about the challenges of trying to work cooperatively in a very partisan enviroment; about what extraordinary potential that Canada and Canadians possess for doing so much more, even, both domestically and internationally, than we do now.

I love all aspects of what I do, very much. I am indeed very fortunate.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to the people of Willowdale for electing me--now twice!--and for showing their confidence in me. Thank you, too, to all of those volunteers who worked on those two successful campaigns, and to all those who have contributed financially. I want to thank the wonderful people with whom I work, and without whom we simply couldn't do the work we do for the people of Willowdale and for the country: In Willowdale, Michele, Carol and Lily, and all the Willowdale volunteers; in Ottawa, Anne-Sophie, Puneet and Elizabeth, and all the Ottawa volunteers; and to all of the fabulous people who make up the Willowdale Federal Liberal Association. Doing good things takes a real team effort, and I'm incredibly lucky to be able to count myself a part of this great group of people.

Thank you all, so much, and I look forward to many more years of being able to serve as the MP for Willowdale.

All best,
Martha

International Women's Day

It is now 100 years since the idea of International Women’s Day was first proposed.

It took another 65 years before the United Nations designated 1975 “International Women’s Year” and officially sanctioned March 8 as International Women’s Day.

We have come a long way, yes. But we still have a long way to go.

I love what I do. As a Member of Parliament, I have one of the best jobs I could possibly imagine. But I wouldn’t be here and able to say that, if it weren’t for so many people who have struggled and fought, for so long, for equal rights for women. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that we women couldn’t even VOTE (federally in Canada, 1918; in most provinces around the same time; not until 1940 in Quebec!) Until the male legislators agreed to “give us” the right, we couldn’t vote, let alone run for public office----and get elected. I am here because so many others worked so hard, and then offered their shoulders to stand on.

Every woman--including me--who today can pursue her dreams and her career aspirations, in environments that not too long ago excluded women---every one of us owes a debt of gratitude to those who have come before us. And we, in turn, owe it to all those who will come after us to continue to work toward full equality and full equality of opportunity for women everywhere.

We cannot rest until women the world over have the right, and the ability, to protect themselves; the right, and the ability, to stand up for themselves without recrimination and without fear; the right, and the ability, to assert their personal and economic independence; and the right, and the ability, to realize on an equal basis all of the potential afforded to their male counterparts.

As a woman I am proud, I am grateful and I am hopeful. Please join me in that pride, that gratitude and that hope, in celebrating International Women’s Day—all year long. We must all keep moving forward.

Prorogation

I am an elected Member of Parliament, but Stephen Harper is trying to prevent me from doing my job. It should NOT be his choice.

The people of Willowdale did not elect me as their Member of Parliament so that I could stay home.

My message to Stephen Harper: I'm going to do MY job, despite his best efforts to prevent me from doing it. LIBERALS ARE WORKING.

This is not Stephen Harper's government. It is OUR government, government for ALL Canadians, as represented by their Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. Canada is NOT Stephen Harper's personal fiefdom to control as he wishes--no matter how much he would like that control.

And let's be clear---this has nothing to do with the Olympics, or "working on the budget". Pure and simple, Stephen Harper is running away. He's running from some very tough questions. Questions that we were asking about:

1. real job numbers, not just what Stephen Harper "promised"; details on results of the "stimulus" plan that Stephen Harper was refusing to provide;


2. why Stephen Harper has repeatedly fired some civil servants for disagreeing with him and eliminated funding to others who have been critical of his government (including, incidentally, the elimination of funding to those whose offices were actually created by Stephen Harper); and


3. Stephen Harpers' refusal to disclose information about the Afghan detainees and torture.

Stephen Harper has been refusing to answer any of these questions. He is abusing parliamentary procedure by proroguing to ‘cut and run’.

My question to Stephen Harper, and the question all Canadians should be asking him, is WHAT IS HE TRYING TO HIDE?

For the second time in only a year, Stephen Harper has prorogued Parliament. For the second time in only a year, his only reason for doing so has been to run away from controversy---and Stephen Harper is hoping that Canadians won't notice. We can't let that happen: I call on all Willowdaleans--indeed all Canadians--to say "No".

The first time Harper prorogued Parliament, only a year ago, was to avoid a vote of non-confidence. A majority of MPs in the House of Commons had made this loss of confidence in him known; we were about to vote (that IS our responsibility). But Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament, preventing our vote and effectively running away to save his own skin.

This time, Stephen Harper is running away from the questions and inquiries about torture in Afghanistan. Why? Because the more we questioned, the more evidence there was that the Harper government has been covering up the truth, and the more the government blocked access to information. What were they hiding? To get at the truth, a majority of the House of Commons passed a motion demanding the production of documents, which the government kept denying access to, relating to the alleged torture of Afghan detainees (a very serious issue, a breach of international law). Harper's reaction? To openly flaunt the will of Parliament---"If you really want the documents, then sue us" was the reaction.

Parliament spoke, with the voice of a majority of MPs, representing a majority of Canadians. We should NOT have to sue the government to compel it to comply with the will of Parliament. And Stephen Harper should not be allowed to close down Parliament when it suits his purposes. It is not HIS government---it is the government of Canadians.

MY JOB AS THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR WILLOWDALE:

The people of Willowdale elected me as their MP to represent them, and their interests, in the House of Commons---in the debates over pending legislation, in the votes, and in the committee work that we do (in my case, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates and the Standing Committee on Finance).

My job in Opposition is NOT just to "oppose"--my job is to help ensure that this country is governed according to the democratic principles that are fundamental to our society. Principles that Stephen Harper is pulling apart, to suit his own purposes.

I want to stress that I represent ALL of the people in Willowdale, regardless of whether they actually voted for me or for someone else. THAT's democracy. But we ARE in a minority government, and Mr. Harper keeps forgetting that. A large majority of people in Willowdale did NOT vote Conservative; a majority of Canadians across the country did NOT vote Conservative. By doing so, Canadians were asking us, as Opposition MPs, to help keep this government to account---to ensure honesty, transparency, accountability and fair play.

Stephen Harper campaigned on these principles, but he is now doing everything he can to take them away. He is preventing us from fulfilling our responsibilities to Canadians.