Dan in Ottawa
Replacing our aging fleet
I have always been a strong believer in the principle of accountability. It is why I make every effort to ensure that my MP expenses are amongst the lowest in...
Private Member's Business
Recently Private Member’s Business has been the subject most frequently raised by a large number of constituents here in Okanagan-Coquihalla. For those of...
Trade & investment debate
Last week was an interesting one on Parliament Hill as trade and foreign investment discussions remain an active topic in the House of Commons as well as in...
Natural resource development
A lot has been said around the discussion of natural resource development over the past several weeks. Whether it is a letter to the editor, a newspaper column...
The importance of commemoration
Since becoming elected as a Member of Parliament I have come to better understand some of the great diversity of our amazing country which we are proud to call...
Annual Accountability Report
This week I would like to submit my annual accountability report. It was my intention to do this earlier in the year however it was only late last week that the...
Canada is not for sale
If you believe everything you read on the Internet and some letters to the editor, you have likely heard false and erroneous claims that Canada is essentially...
Rare agreement: welcome change
Never let it be said that democratic diversity is not alive and well in Okanagan-Coquihalla. Each week I am fortunate to receive a significant amount of...
Hold online bullies accountable
With the House of Commons back in session this week there will be a number of different votes occurring largely on Bills that I have referenced in previous...
Questions surround Question Period
As the House of Commons is currently on the Thanksgiving break week until October 15^th there is one area of Parliamentary business that I have yet to discuss...
A new Lieutenant-Governor for BC
One aspect of the weekly Parliament Hill events cycle that I have neglected to mention in my recent reports is Opposition day motions. Also known as...
Fall Session: analyzing issues
Fall Session brings both discussion and analysis of issues. In light of the recent announcement that the BC Legislature would not hold a fall session I wanted...
Fall session starts with Accountability
It was one year ago that I was headed to Ottawa for my first fall session in the House of Commons. The fall sessions have become somewhat legendary over the...
Ending violence against women
By this time next week the House of Commons will have again resumed session and I will be back in Ottawa for 10 of the next 12 weeks and the next major break in...
First Nations and land use
It is often said that there are two sides to an issue and from my relatively brief experience as a Member of Parliament and previously as a city councillor,...
Fair play for local, national issues
Last fall I heard from a number of constituents who expressed their concerns over allegations made regarding automated phone calls during the last federal...
Speaking about the Speaker
This week residents of the Okanagan learned that long term local MLA Bill Barisoff will be retiring from public office at the conclusion of his term in April of...
Listening tour opportunity to discuss past and future issues
Although Canada’s next general election is not schedule to occur until 2015, there could potentially be some major changes that may be of interest to...
The politics of who rather than what
One of the questions I am often asked during my summer listening tour and in particular when meeting with local government representatives is on the differences...
Low taxes and reductions
One aspect of my weekly MP reports that I find very beneficial is that the reports often generate independent discussion from a diverse group of citizens who...