The Editor,
On Saturday, June 1, I joined thousands of Canadians at rallies across the country, including one here in Richmond, to voice my grave concern about the Federal Budget, Bill C-38. The Bill is far more than a budget. It contains changes to 70 different laws, and it's really a sweeping agenda to remake Canadian society. Worse, it's being rushed through Parliament without time for open debate or public scrutiny.
I spent my several hours on Saturday in front of Alice Wong's office because I believe that if this bill passes it will leave a black mark on our democracy. Among many other things, it will affect pensions, alter EI, reduce wages paid to temporary workers, eliminate environmental reviews, and alter criminal justice at a time when punitive approaches have been shown to fail in other jurisdictions. And, it will give American law enforcement agencies the same rights as the RCMP when they are working on joint cases. Do we want American-style justice in this country?
We know that many Conservative MPs have real concerns about this budget bill. It's time for them to speak up. We are looking for 13 "hero" Conservative MPs to stop this bill, split it and start over by inviting Canadians to help them make better laws. We are asking them to represent their constituents, and a majority of Canadians honestly, by doing the right thing for our country.
Evelyn Lazare Richmond
