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Quarterly Edition No. 26—Spring 2011
How to
Contact Geoff
Constituency Office
222-1496 Bedford Highway
Bedford, NS B4A 1E5
Tel: (902) 426-2217
Fax: (902) 426-8339
E-mail: [email protected]
Parliament Hill Office
Room 645, Confederation Bldg
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Tel.: (613) 996-3085
Fax: (613) 996-6988
E-mail: [email protected]
Online:
www.geoffregan.ca
Find Geoff on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/
pages/GeoffRegan/19891033712
Follow Geoff's tweets at:
http://twitter.com/geoffregan
Standing up for Canadian families
Many people in Halifax West worry about how they will pay for their children’s education, take care of their parents as they age, and remain financially secure when they retire. My priority in the House of Commons is working to help find ways to support
families in my riding and keep our economy strong.
As Official Opposition Critic for Public Works and Government Services, I have
been working in Parliament to hold the government accountable for wasteful spending –
including $1 billion wasted on the G8 and G20 summits for fake lakes and glow sticks;
the $16 billion untendered F-35 fighter jet purchase; and billions to build U.S. style prisons for unreported crime.
I believe that instead of borrowing money to give $6 billion in tax cuts to rich
corporations, the Government of Canada
should be investing in health care, family
care and pension reform. We should restore programs like ecoEnergy Retro-fit
homes, which has proven to help create
jobs. And the Community Access Program, which trains individuals and small
businesses to use new technologies.
I’d like to hear from you about what
your priorities are. Please give me a call,
send me an e-mail, or fill out the questionnaire at the back of this newsletter.
Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Official Opposition, Geoff
(right) and fellow MPs joined families for a skate on the
Rideau Canal in February. Supporting families is the
Opposition’s top priority in Parliament.
When I was first elected, I began a series of ―Let’s Talk‖
meetings. One of the things I hoped to do as an elected
representative was to reduce people’s cynicism about politics. I think one of the best ways to do that is to stay connected with people and listen to what they have to say
about the issues that matter in our community.
With such a large area to represent, I needed to find a way to keep in touch with
my constituents. That’s why I decided to have regular public meetings in community
halls throughout Halifax West.
Let’s Talk meetings have been a valuable tool for me to get feedback from constituents about federal issues and to get to know new constituents. I truly appreciate
those who have taken the time to attend these meetings.
I’m happy to report that I will be having my 100th Let’s Talk this spring. In addition to an open discussion, Let’s Talk #100 will be a celebration of our community's
commitment to working together to make Halifax West a great place to live. Please visit
my website, www.geoffregan.ca for details about the next Let’s Talk meeting.
On January 23rd, Marguerite O’Connor celebrated
her 90th birthday. I was honoured to be included in
this celebration.
If you have an important milestone coming
up, I would be pleased to send a congratulatory certificate. Please contact my constituency office at 4262217 or [email protected].
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Your voice in the House of Commons
As your Member of Parliament, it is my duty and my pleasure to raise the issues you care about in
the House of Commons. Here are two local issues that I recently spoke about in the House.
Community Access Program Centres
Mr. Speaker, staff at community access program
centres face an uncertain future. They are waiting to
find out if the Conservative government will fund
the program beyond March 31 and if they will still
have a job.
You can read all
These dedicated employees provide Internet acof my speeches in
cess for rural and remote areas, assistance in accessthe House of
ing online services for seniors, and computer trainCommons on my
ing for individuals and small businesses.
website,
Despite repeated requests, the Conservative govwww.geoffregan.ca,
ernment will not say if it will continue to fund these
in the section
C@P centres or if it plans to abandon this essential
called Geoff on
service.
the Hill.
These people deserve an answer now.
Terence Bay Lighthouse
Mr. Speaker, the Terence Bay Lighthouse Society has
been recognized for its community spirit and dedication to preserving local heritage. The Terence Bay
Lighthouse, built in 1903, is an important landmark.
Unfortunately, maintaining this iconic historic
structure is not a priority for the Minister of Fisheries
and Oceans. Battered by the sea and rain and neglected by the Conservatives, the lighthouse was in a
dismal state. It was left to members of the society to
repair this landmark when the Conservative government abandoned it.
I hope this will be an example to the minister that
maintaining our lighthouses is a priority for people in
our coastal communities.
Know your rights as a taxpayer
Newcomers need our support
The Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman was created to
promote professional service and the fair treatment of taxpayers by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
With a declining population, Nova Scotia needs immigrants to
help keep our economy growing. But before new immigrants
can put their skills to work and fill labour shortages, they need
federal government support to help them settle in their new
community.
The Taxpayers’ Ombudsman is
mandated to review taxpayers’ service complaints, identify and investigate emerging and systemic issues
related to the CRA’s service to Canadians, and to uphold the service
rights found in The Taxpayer Bill of
Rights.
If you have questions or concerns
about your dealings with the
CRA, I am happy
to help. Contact
my constituency
office at 426-2217.
Know Your Rights
You have rights as a taxpayer and you should know about
them. To learn about your rights and how to file a complaint if you feel they are not being respected, visit
www.oto-boc.gc.ca.
Taxpayers’ Ombudsman Contact Information
Telephone: 1-866-586-3839
Facsimile: 1-866-586-3855
Address: 724 - 50 O’Connor Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2
Unfortunately, the Conservative government recently cut $53
million in funding from vital settlement services. Deeper cuts
are expected in future years. There are several organizations in
Halifax West doing great work to help newcomers establish
themselves through language training., job search and family
counseling. They are now losing financial support from the
federal government. Organizations like Immigrant Settlement
and Integration Services (ISIS) have had their budgets cut at
the very same time as the province is trying to attract new immigrants and there is sure to be even greater need for their
services in the near future.
As the representative for one of the most diverse areas in Atlantic Canada, I am very concerned about the impact of these
cuts. I will continue to work with my colleagues to urge the
Conservative government to reinvest in helping newcomers
fully contribute to the Canadian economy and Canadian society.
The new Canada Games Centre is a slam dunk!
In January, the new Canada Games Centre officially opened its doors.
It was met with an enthusiastic reception from the community.
After a lot of hard work from people in Halifax West, I was
thrilled to see the incredible result. As a proponent for community
recreation and physical activity, I have been a passionate supporter of
the Canada Games Centre, like so many who live in our area All
three levels of government contributed to this project, with the federal government providing $12 million. In addition to hosting artistic
gymnastics, synchronized swimming and badminton for the largest
sporting event ever to be held in Nova Scotia, the Games Centre will
provide much-needed facilities for sport and recreation in our
neighbourhood.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Games Centre
a fantastic place for our families to stay active and have fun.
Geoff Regan, M.P.
www.geoffregan.ca
Geoff met Team Nova Scotia
members Jared Goad, Myles
Dalton, Faye Evans, and
Patra Addison at the official
opening on the Canada Games
Centre in January.
Halifax West
Bill C-428—Old Age Security Pension
I have received many calls and e-mails concerning Bill C-428,
an act to amend the Old Age Security Act. I want to clarify the
details of the bill and to update you as to my position on this
Bill.
I DO NOT support Bill C-428. The Liberal Party DOES
NOT support Bill C-428.
Bill C-428 seeks to reduce the residency requirement for entitlement to a monthly Old Age Security pension from 10 years
to three years. Old Age Security benefits would continue to
reflect the length of time a person has resided in Canada and
therefore, long-time residents would be compensated on a
scale that reflects their considerable contribution while in the
workforce.
Having said that, I should point out several facts. First, the
Liberal party is currently examining the subject of retirement
income and national pension reform and Bill C-428 is NOT
part of that review. Judy Sgro, Official Opposition Critic for
Seniors and Pensions, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and
members of our caucus have also indicated they do not support Bill C-428.
Hundreds of private members bills are submitted in each session of Parliament and only 30-40 are given consideration by
means of an MP lottery. As the sponsor of Bill C-428 is currently not on the list for consideration of private members
business, C-428 will not even be debated any time in the foreseeable future.
I believe we need to provide more adequate support to seniors,
but Bill C-428 will not help us to achieve that goal.
Local businesses working to be eco-friendly
Curtis Cartmill explains
how LED Roadway Lighting is making streetlights
twice as energy efficient as
traditional streetlights.
Colleen Gareau tells Geoff
how her public relations firm
is carbon neutral and helps
clients go green.
Many businesses in Halifax West are
helping their clients make good
choices for the environment and using best business practices to reduce
their company’s impact on the planet.
I recently met with representatives
from two companies that are proving
you can make a profit and a difference too.
LED Roadway Lighting is a rapidly
growing company with bright ideas
about how we can light our streets
and properties using less energy and
less money.
7th Estate Public Relations Group is
reducing its carbon footprint by purchasing clean energy and recycling.
I’d love to hear what your business is
doing to be eco-friendly
Caregivers need
care too
Canadian families want the option of caring for a loved one who has fallen ill – whether it’s an aging
parent or grandparent, a young child, or a spouse – at home.
I know there are many people in Halifax West who are struggling to balance work with caring for a loved one or taking
time off from their jobs to care for a sick family member.
Approximately 2.7 million Canadians provide care for seniors.
Family caregivers are responsible for 80 percent of Canada’s
homecare services, providing over $9 billion in unpaid care
each year. Canadian families are all too familiar with the pressures of caring for sick or aging family members at home.
Providing family care leads to unexpected out-of-pocket expenses, and often results in lost income from work absences
in order to provide care.
Despite their value to our economy, our health, our families
and our communities, the important work done by family
caregivers has gone largely unrecognized. I believe family
caregivers need to be cared for too. That is why we in the Official Opposition have proposed the Family Care Plan.
Designed to make caring for an aging or ill family member as
easy as possible, the plan proposes a new six-month Family
Care Employment Insurance benefit so that more Canadians can care for gravely ill family members at home without
having to quit their jobs.
This benefit would feature:
► Longer benefits — support for up to six months.
► Expanded access — more flexible requirements for a
doctors certificate.
► Flexible sharing of benefits — the 6 months worth of
benefits can be spread out over 52 weeks, and family members can share the 6 months to provide care.
The new Family Care EI Benefit would cost $250 million per
year and would help an estimated 30,000 family caregivers,
without increasing EI premiums.
The plan’s second element — a new monthly Family Care
Tax Benefit — is modeled on the existing Child Tax Benefit.
Designed to help low-and middle-income family caregivers
who provide essential care to a family member at home, the
benefit will give family caregivers up to $1,350 per year —
tax free — depending on income. It would be available to all
families with incomes under $106,000 per year.
The new Family Care Tax Benefit would help an estimated
600,000 family caregivers each year at an annual cost of $750
million.
As our population ages, the impact on productivity is one
part of the challenge Canada must address. Helping caregivers
reconcile work and care will help meet that challenge.
What are the top three issues you would like Parliament to focus on?
Health and Family Care
Energy and Environment
Learning and Innovation
Economy
Retirement Security
Accountability
Global Leadership
Other
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Purple Day : Raising awareness about epilepsy
On March 26th, people around the world wear purple to
help raise awareness about epilepsy.
In 2008, Cassidy Megan, a young girl from Halifax West,
founded Purple Day. Cassidy lives with epilepsy and she
wanted to let other kids with epilepsy know that they aren’t
alone. I congratulate
Cassidy on this amazing accomplishment.
I have introduced a
private members bill,
Bill C-430, to officially declare March
26th Purple Day in
Canada so that all Canadians can be part
Geoff with Cassidy Megan, founder of Purple Day.
of Cassidy’s cause.
Natalie Brown, Ruth Byrne and Geoff at the annual Bowl-a-thon
fundraiser for Fairview Family Resource Centre/Parent ’n Tot.
What does a Member of Parliament do?
One of my favourite things about being an M.P. is occasionally
speaking to students about the job of a Member of Parliament
and the role of the Canadian Government. I believe it is very
important for all of us to understand how our democracy works
so that we are better able to participate.
If you’d like me to come and speak to your class, please contact
me at 426-2217 or by e-mail at [email protected]
Geoff and Liberal M.P. Navdeep Bains, Critic for Small Business,
met with members of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce to discuss how the federal government can help independent businesses.
Top: Geoff gets a lesson
from Ms. Stairs-Freeze’s
Grade 4 students at Bedford
South School.
Bottom: ISIS’s English
as a Second Language students discuss how the federal
government makes decisions.
Katimavik volunteers Josiah Goodyear from Bedford and Gregory Langille from Halifax, met with Geoff and Liberal M.P.
Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill.
Siobhan Coady, M.P. for St. John‘s South-Mount Pearl, joined
Geoff for a tour of Atlantic CAT to see the contributions the
company is making to the marine industry in Atlantic Canada.
Geoff and Clayton Partk MLA Diana Whalen joined the Nova
Scotia Egyptian Society for a discussion about Egypt’s future.
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Name
Address
E-mail
Geoff Regan, M.P.
Geoff Regan, M.P., Halifax West
Suite 222
1496 Bedford Highway
Bedford, NS B4A 1E5
www.geoffregan.ca
Halifax West