NDP again oppose omnibus budget bill

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty said NDP MPs again are united in their opposition to the introduction of a new 443-page omnibus budget bill, the second such bill since the last election, which was tabled in the House of Commons yesterday by the Conservative government of Stephen Harper.
“I have a tremendous problem with this arrogant and undemocratic legislative tool being used for the second time in less than a year,” said John Rafferty.

“It’s simply not necessary to table a bill of this size and scope in a stable majority government,” he argued.
“We have the time to properly examine and debate the bill, but Mr. Harper is choosing to ram it through without proper oversight,” he charged.
In the spring, and despite promising not to during the last election campaign, the Harper Conservatives attacked Old Age Security, Employment Insurance (EI), and health-care transfers while also turning back the clock on environmental protection.
“They are now further weakening environmental protection by removing pipeline projects from the Navigable Waters Protection Act, and putting even more power in the hands of the minister,” said Rafferty.
“It makes you wonder, and fear, what else they are hiding from us in this bill.”
Rafferty said a bill like this, with dozens of meaningful changes to different acts, should have been presented to Parliament in separate bills.
“By tabling another 400-plus page budget bill, it is clear that the Harper Conservatives are ignoring the wishes of an overwhelming number of Canadians who want a proper debate on such important matters and more transparency from the their federal government,” Rafferty said.