From: "Denise Savoie, MP Victoria"
Victoria's Voice in Ottawa
December 12, 2008
Dear friends,
I arrived back in Victoria Wednesday night after a tumultuous few weeks in Ottawa. I have heard from many of you, via email and telephone, regarding the New Democrats discussions about a coalition with the Liberals and I am attempting to respond to everyone as quickly as possible. Although it has been an unsettling time for many people who would like to see their government demonstrating leadership and an inclusive action plan, I am encouraged that so many of you have become engaged in the debate and I
welcome your input.
>From my perspective, the Conservative economic update made clear that Prime
Minister Harper was not willing to represent Canada's diverse interests and
work collaboratively with opposition parties. He chose partisanship over
addressing Canada's economic priorities, and in doing so he lost the
confidence of Parliament.
In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the
1930s, Mr. Harper misled Canadians about the country's balance sheet, a fact
confirmed by the independent Parliamentary budget officer and many respected
economists. He offered no economic stimulus. Instead of attacking the
recession, he attacked women, workers and democracy. In the process, he, not
the opposition, precipitated a crisis of confidence.
The Prime Minister needed to reach out in a spirit of cooperation to make
Parliament work. When he failed to do that, the opposition had no choice but
to put their heads together and give Canadians the reassurance that rational
minds could prevail. The coalition between New Democrats and Liberals is
focused on the economic well-being of our country. It includes a stimulus
package with infrastructure investments in housing, transit, clean energy
and transportation, investments that economists tell us are necessary and
that municipalities, including Victoria and the CRD, have been clamouring
for. It includes key strategies for the auto, manufacturing and forestry
industries. It invests in working families through EI reform, skills
training and older worker adjustment. It helps seniors through pension
protection and reform to mandatory RRIF withdrawals. Simply put, it is a
plan for Canadians.
My New Democrat colleagues and I will continue to hold the Government's feet
to the fire on the need for a plan that responds to the needs of Canadians
in this economic crisis. Words are not enough given the Prime Minister's
damaging track record. We will be watching carefully in January when Mr.
Harper presents his budget to see if he is able to put the interests of
Canadians first.
In the meantime, it is such a pleasure to be home in Victoria, and like many
of you I look forward to spending time with friends and family over the
holiday season. I will also be busy in the riding attending community
events, and look forward to conversations with many of my constituents.
Today I attended the launch of www.britishcolonist.ca, the new searchable
online archives of the British Colonist. It will be an important source of
historical information for researchers, genealogists and students.
On Saturday morning, I will be helping out at the Oaklands Christmas
Breakfast with Santa at the Oaklands Community Centre and the Santa Pancake
Breakfast at the Burnside Gorge Community Centre. Continuing with holiday
festivities I will be attending the Admiral's Annual Christmas Reception
Saturday afternoon at the HMC Dockyard in Esquimalt.
On Sunday afternoon, I am looking forward to joining Victoria's new Mayor
Dean Fortin and the community for the much-anticipated Grand Re-Opening of
the Crystal Garden, an expansion of the Victoria Conference Centre.
I would also like to invite all of you to attend my annual Holiday Open
House at my constituency office at 970 Blanshard Street. Please drop by
between 4 and 6 p.m., for refreshments, conversation and good cheer.
I am in the process of planning two public events for the new year. One will
be a forum on the economy and the other an examination of proportional
representation. I will tell you more in a future e-bulletin.
In closing, I wish to extend a warm thank-you to all of my constituents for
your input over this past year. In my demanding work in Ottawa I am always
mindful that I am your representative and of the confidence you've shown in
me by re-electing me. I will continue to listen to you, and to be
accountable to you.
Best wishes for the new year.
Sincerely
Denise
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Available at My Victoria Office
2009 Calendars
My 2009 MP calendar features pictures of some of the special places in my
riding. All households will be receiving one in the mail soon, but if you
would like extras, you can pick them up at my office, or ask us to mail them
to you.
Canadian Flags and Pins
I also have a limited supply of large outdoor Canadian flags and Canada
pins. The federal Heritage department provides MPs with a set amount of
these flags and pins each year, and I'm happy to make these available to my
constituents for as long as they last. The pins in particular are very
popular, so we give out only 20 per person in order to make them available
to as many people as possible.
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Volunteer in My Victoria Office
If you have some spare time, and good computer skills (especially in data
entry), my Victoria community office could use your help. If you're
interested, please contact my assistant Donna Forbes at 363-3600.
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**Through this e-bulletin, I aim to keep you up-to-date about my efforts on
your behalf, in Parliament and in Victoria. If you have received this
message, it's probably because you responded to one of my mailings or
offered feedback on your priorities. I appreciate your input and it has
helped to inform and shape my work as your representative in Ottawa.
Please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail, in person at 970 Blanshard
Street or by phone at 363-3600. The office is open to the public Tuesdays
through Fridays from 10am to 5pm.
