august 2012 newsletter

While enjoying time with family and my work in our beautiful city this summer, I am bothered about growing Canadian economic uncertainties that may have dire impacts on our future.

The Conservative government’s approach is not working. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney downgraded 2012 and 2013 projections for Canada’s economy, with government’s debt at record heights, and household debt increased 59% under Stephen Harper. His government gives $billions in subsidies to big oil companies but does little for small business. Prime Minister Harper’s secretive review recently “rubber stamped” a $6 billion foreign takeover of Viterra, Canada’s largest agriculture company – without the clear rules and transparency for foreign takeovers Canadians were promised.

Mr. Harper’s mediocre performance spells serious trouble for hard-pressed middle-class families. After racking up $120 billion in new

debt thus erasing 9 years of hard-earned Liberal surpluses, his “growth strategy” is to cut government jobs and programs and count on consumer spending, which forces families deeper into debt.

Provincial governments are calling for more balanced and collaborative approach and less federal unilateralism and off-loading. To strengthen our economy, Canada needs incentives for hiring students and youth, better access to skills training, stronger support for basic research, simpli� cation of federal tax codes, less pandering to large industry, and more support for green and innovative small business growth!

Best regards,

Joyce Murray, MPVancouver Quadra

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AUGUST 2012

BAD ECONOMIC REPORTS A WAKE-UP CALL

DEAR FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURS,

YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD. YOUR CANADA.

Your ViewForeign take-overs of Canada’s strategic natural resource businesses,

like Viterra and Nexon, could pose risks to Canada’s economic future and

sovereignty. Government’s reviews of potential foreign take-overs are

conducted in secrecy.

The government’s current process for approving foreign take-overs

is acceptable.

The government must put in place clear rules and transparent reviews

for foreign take-overs of strategic Canadian-owned assets.

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A MESSAGE FROM JOYCE MURRAY, MP • FOR INVITATIONS TO MP EVENTS, EMAIL US AT [email protected]

206 – 2112 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V6K 2C8 T: (604) 664-9220 F: (604) 664-9221 E: [email protected] www.joycemurray.ca

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010812-01

Here to Serve Our Community STOP THE HUMANITARIAN TRAGEDY

IN THE CONGO!

After meeting with a Congolese women’s delegation—in Ottawa

seeking Canadian help—MP Murray tabled a motion in the House

of Commons calling on the government to implement a monitoring

and labeling system to ensure “con� ict minerals” mined in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are not used in electronic

products sold in Canada.

Armed DRC groups use force and intimidation to control the supply

of certain minerals, such as coltan and tin, used in electronic

products like cell-phones and computers. Pro� ts from the mining

and sale of these minerals help � nance a war that since 1994

has claimed over � ve million lives, making it one of the bloodiest

con� icts since World War II. Women and girls are routinely victims

of atrocity and abuse in what has been called the “rape capital of

the world.”

Canadian businesses engaged in the global economy must use

only responsibly sourced mineral components, but they need

Canadian government leadership to develop a national framework.

A tracking, labeling and monitoring system indicating products

that are “con� ict mineral free” will help Canadian retailers and

consumers avoid inadvertently fueling this horrendous war.

A safer world for Congolese women and girls is a safer, more

humanitarian world for all.

MP Murray tabling her Motion in the House of Common







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010812-02

Here to Serve Our Community A BANKER’S PERSPECTIVE

ON A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

The May MP Breakfast Connections featured Member of

Parliament Joyce Murray and Vancity CEO Tamara Vrooman

engaging guests in a dialogue about building a sustainable

economy in Canada.

BC’s former Deputy Minister of Finance is now head of Canada’s

largest credit union. Ms Vrooman offered a unique perspective

on recent international banking industry failures underpinning the

2008-9 world economic crisis and outlined the role of responsible

banking in building sustainable communities.

The conversation explored the meaning of “sustainable economy”

as one that continues to add value in the long term—“value” that

bene� ts people, the environment, and brings economic bene� ts.

Businesses like Vancity are adopting “triple bottom line” accounting

and are working towards national level composite indices like the

Canadian Index of Wellbeing as an alternative way of measuring

sustainable growth because—unlike the GDP—they include reliable

societal and environmental quality-of-life measurements.

Ms Murray cited research con� rming companies with strong

sustainability mandates are more pro� table than those without.

Fortunately Vancouver is home to many entrepreneurs and innovators

who, like Ms Vrooman, are developing new ideas and innovations

for creating a more prosperous, fair and sustainable society.

To receive invitations to MP Breakfast Connections, please email

[email protected]

MP Murray with May MP Breakfast speaker Tamara Vrooman







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010812-03

Here to Serve Our Community JOIN THE URBAN FOOD REVOLUTION!

Businessman and former City Councilor Peter Ladner fed

imaginations at Member of Parliament Joyce Murray’s June

MP Breakfast Connections, with urban success stories from

his new book The Urban Food Revolution: Changing the Way We

Feed Cities.

Ladner highlighted some of today’s unsustainable agricultural

practices, and the unexpected bene� ts of innovative, local

food production. From community building, to crime reduction,

beauti� cation, job-creation and rising property values, the

continent-wide movement of small scale local agriculture is

revitalizing urban areas while increasing food security.

Among the many successful Metro Vancouver initiatives, Ladner

mentioned the new Southlands farm-centred subdivision in Surrey

that’s becoming a centre for local agriculture, and SOLE Food Farm

in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside—a social enterprise providing

urban agriculture training and employment to residents, and fresh,

local food to the community.

“We are all involved in the food system, every time we eat,” Ladner

noted. “We are rediscovering our connection to our food, and it has

captured people’s imagination.” Ms Murray, who in the 1980s raised

her 3 children on home-grown organic fruits and vegetables from

their large Burnaby garden, joked that her bee-keeping husband

Dirk has recently been reconnecting with nature—through dozens

of painful bee-stings!

To receive invitations to MP Breakfast Connections, please email

[email protected]

MP Murray and author Peter Ladner







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010812-04

Here to Serve Our Community “ STOP THE BULLYING AND

STAND UP FOR CHARITIES”

This spring Member of Parliament Joyce Murray, Co-Chair of the

Liberals’ weekly Policy Caucus, invited representatives from leading

umbrella organizations of the non-pro� t and charitable sector to

Parliament Hill, to meet with Liberal senators and MPs about the

Conservative government’s attack on charities.

From the church-based justice group KAIROS Canada, to

community and environmental non-pro� t TIDES Canada—

thousands of non-governmental and charitable groups are being

attacked simply for volunteering. They have been verbally abused,

had funding withdrawn, and have been audited by Revenue

Canada (given millions in extra funding for auditing charities).

Conservative ministers and senators publically use language like

“anti-Canadian,” “radicals,” involved in illegal “money-laundering,”

that “take money from Al Qaeda, the Hamas, or the Taliban,”—to

smear non-pro� ts if their message differs from government’s.

Regrettably, these tactics mirror the bullying associated with Prime

Minister Stephen Harper’s style.

By intimidating and undermining charities who advocate for the

underdog and the public good, the Conservative government

weakens Canada’s moral society. By excluding charities from public

policy debates, Conservatives are silencing dissent and weakening

Canada’s democracy.

MP Murray raised these concerns in speeches and press releases.

If you too are concerned, please sign the Liberal petition for hearings

by the Senate National Finance Committee at petition.liberal.ca/

stop-conservative-attacks-charities.

Summer 2012 door knocking in Quadra







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010812-05

Here to Serve Our Community NO OIL SUPERTANKERS; NO NG PIPELINE

In June Member of Parliament Joyce Murray re-introduced her

Private Member’s Bill C-437 (formerly C-606) in the House of

Commons. This bill would exclude oil supertankers from Canada’s

Paci� c North Coast to protect coastal communities, jobs and

ecosystems from the risk of an oil spill, and reinforces the long-

standing federal Liberal commitment to this region.

“The Conservative government is weakening environmental

protection, over-riding Canada’s Environmental Assessments,

and undermining consultations with First Nations and British

Columbians on the Northern Gateway Pipeline (NGP) project,”

said Murray. “The US regulator’s condemnation of Enbridge’s

Kalamazoo River oil spill response further underlines our concerns.”

British Columbians shoulder an unacceptable environmental

risk from NGP—but potentially harmful economic impacts must also

be considered.

Over 230 people � lled a gymnasium for Ms Murray’s second

public event on the economics of Enbridge’s pipeline proposal.

Independent economist Robyn Allan’s analysis of Enbridge’s

detailed NGP National Energy Board submission highlighted

inaccuracies and omissions in the project’s business case. She

tallied the cost of exporting thousands of permanent Canadian oil

re� ning jobs to Asia, noting the NGP submission calculates the

doubling of domestic oil prices as a bene� t, and ignores negative

impacts on Canadian workers, consumers, commuters and

businesses. Visit www.joycemurray.ca for more information.

MP Murray and economist Robyn Allan at her MP Townhall on Enbridge’s pipeline proposal

august 2012 newsletter

Documents

governments debt

canadas economy

canadas economic future

provincial governments

foreign takeover of

government jobs

household debt

new debt