Jun 05
From Céline Hervieux-Payette in
Economy, Politics, Social, Women
OTTAWA, June 5th, 2012 – Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette denounces article 602 of the Conservative omnibus budget Bill C-38 which removes a clause in the Employment Equity Act (EEA), requiring contractors to comply with employment equity in the Federal Contractors Program (FCP).
This will have a negative impact on the employment access of women, the disabled, Aboriginals and visible minorities and demonstrates the conservatives’ desire to destroy any progress gained by these groups since Confederation.
“With their majority in the House of Commons and the Senate, the Conservatives have both hands on the wheel, their foot on the gas pedal and the transmission stuck in reverse” said Senator Hervieux-Payette. “We will lose 25 years of economic and social progress. This is a regressive and archaic decision that goes against common sense,” continued the Senator.
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May 30
From Céline Hervieux-Payette in
Health, Social
Hon. Céline Hervieux-Payette: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. After more than two decades of negotiations between representatives of the Canadian government and Aboriginal peoples, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by a majority of the 143 states.
The declaration is part of a universal framework to ensure that states set minimum standards for the well-being of Aboriginal peoples and respect their individual and collective rights. Although the Conservative government initially voted against the declaration, it did sign in 2010 under pressure from the international community.
Recently, we learned that the Harper government intends to eliminate funding for the National Centre for First Nations Governance and the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s health services. These two organizations are critical to the delivery of health services, assistance, education and the management of community funds.
In light of the recommendation of the United Nations expert who condemned the lack of nutritious foods available to Aboriginal peoples and to ensure that women and children can benefit from better health through nutrition, can the government leader tell us which programs and funds will be made available to Aboriginals and when we will have a policy on funding for the transportation of perishable goods to the far North? read more…
May 16
From Céline Hervieux-Payette in
Economy
Hon. Céline Hervieux-Payette: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. You have certainly heard the recent news of JPMorgan posting over $2 billion in losses in two weeks after speculating on credit derivatives.
After that debacle, U.S. President Barack Obama said that this incident only underscores why it was so important to reform the rules that apply to Wall Street and all financial sectors, and why those rules need to be fully enforced, not just on an ad hoc basis.
A few weeks ago, I asked a question about the fact that Canadian banks had received secret loans totalling billions of dollars in order to prevent some of them from going bankrupt at the beginning of the crisis in 2008.
When will the Prime Minister work with President Obama — for once, I believe that we, on this side, agree that they should work together — in order to regulate the financial system and prohibit Canadian banks from making any speculative investments, considering that the banks are funded for the most part by Canadians’ pension funds? read more…
May 04
From Céline Hervieux-Payette in
Politics
Honourable senators, on this World Press Freedom Day, I speak in this chamber today to assure the Canadian public that the fundamental principles of journalism are being respected.
Allow me to refer to the code of conduct of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec to outline the fundamental values of journalism in Canada.
We know that journalists” work must be based on the critical thinking that pushes them to question everything, the impartiality that pushes them to do their research and report on the various aspects of a situation, the independence that keeps them at arm”s length from power and lobby groups, the honesty that makes them stick to the facts, and a number of other principles. read more…
May 03
From Céline Hervieux-Payette in
Politics, Social
OTTAWA, May 3, 2021 – On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Senator Hervieux-Payette is grateful to Canadian journalists and to all those who practice a profession vital to democracy and human rights. She also pays tribute to those who lost their lives defending this ideal.
“There can be no liberty and no justice without an independent and free press. All Heads of States, all governments, all politicians who defend individual freedom and justice must guarantee the freedom and independence of this pillar of democracy, “said Senator Hervieux-Payette.
On April 2nd 2012, the Conservative government imposed on CBC journalists a so-called code of values and ethics for journalists employed by public radio and television broadcasters.
“They are asking CBC journalists to pledge allegiance to the government. This political interference aimed at controlling the media is extremely serious. Prime Minister Harper clearly demonstrated that his discourse on transparency and accountability was vote pandering and manipulation”, she stated.
The new “code of conduct” warns that any serious breach is considered “wrongdoing” and that the offending person “is liable to disciplinary action up to and including immediate dismissal.” However, under the Broadcasting Act, employees of the CBC are not subject to this code of ethics and values. Although the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a government institution, the Broadcasting Act clearly states in paragraph 44(3) that employees are not officers or servants of Her Majesty.
“After tabling Bill C-30 to spy on Canadians’ electronic communications, the Conservative government has demonstrated that their conception of freedom is limited only to the free-market. The consumer is free. The citizen is under control. The journalist is muzzled “concluded the Senator.
