Ways you can spread holiday cheer

Looking forward to the New Year, I will take a brief moment here to highlight a few ways in which you can help spread some holiday cheer in our communities, also highlight three important issues that I intend to work on in throughout the spring session of parliament.
Several regional food drives and charity organizations are experiencing shortfalls this year and many people will be forced to go without again over the holiday season. There are many great charities operating in the region, but several organizations urgently require non-perishable food items to help families in desperate need at this time of year. In Thunder Bay, the Regional Food Distribution Network (622-7440) and Shelter House (623-8182) are accepting donations. In Atikokan, the Native Friendship Centre (597-1213) and the Faith Lutheran Food Bank (597-4225 or 597-4607) are doing the same. And in Fort Frances and Rainy River, the Salvation Army Food Bank (274-3871), and The United Native Friendship Centre (274-8542) would also be very happy to receive your donations. Please contact these organizations directly at the phone numbers listed to find out their drop off times if you would like to make a donation, and also if you or someone you know is in need.
Looking ahead now to the next session of parliament, there will be three main issues that I intend to focus on in. In addition to following up on some issues that arose in the fall session, namely ensuring that the federal government helps to resolve pension shortfall for AbitibiBowater retirees and informing the public about the HST and how it will affect them after July 2010, I also intend to forcefully take on the issues of fair gas pricing, combating US subsidies in the pulp and paper sector, and working with the rest of the New Democratic caucus on CPP and EI reforms.
The price of gas will continue to be a major focus of my work moving forward and especially so given the 8% price hike that we will be hit with when the Harper-McGuinty HST comes into effect next summer. I have no idea why Greg Rickford, Bill Mauro, and Mike Gravelle would support an 8% hike in our gas prices, especially in Northwestern Ontario, but I feel a responsibility to work on your behalf to lower those prices or at the very least ensure that we are not being gouged by the oil and gas companies because of our geographic location and dependence on their products.
I will also be monitoring the development of, and fighting against, any new US pulp and paper and forestry subsidies. The Black Liquor regime in the US very nearly put an end to Canada’s pulp and paper sector, and while I am happy that it is set to expire at the end of 2009 I have been monitoring a new subsidy that appears to be two to three times larger. If those mills across the border begin to receive payouts from that subsidy as I fear, then the federal government must do everything in its power to o level the playing field by negotiating an end to or matching those subsidies for mills on our side of the border. I am actively monitoring developments on this issue and preparing to act should the new US subsidy begin this year.
Finally, the New Democrat caucus and I will continue to enact CPP and EI system reforms because too many of us are paying into those funds but getting nothing in return when we need to cash in that investment. The predecessors of the New Democrat Party, the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF), were the first major government in North America (Saskatchewan) to introduce the ‘radical’ idea of creating self funded employment insurance and pension funds so that we have something in the bank when we become too old or sick to work, or in case we find ourselves unable to find employment in tough times like those we are going through today. Our party is proud to have established these systems in Canada and New Democrats can again be counted on to fix them after years of Liberal and Conservative neglect. In short, my NDP colleagues and I will work to make sure that those who have paid into CPP and EI their whole life can access those funds when they need to.