Prorogued Liberals find stuff to do on Parliament Hill

NEWS RELEASE

CHRISTIAN PROVENZANO FEDERAL LIBERAL CANDIDATE SAULT STE. MARIE

************************* Provenzano: Liberal MPs back at work despite suspension of Parliament

The Parliament of Canada was scheduled to return today until Stephen Harper unilaterally decided, during the Christmas holidays, to close Parliament until March 3, 2010.

Notwithstanding the prime minister's heavy-handed and anti-democratic behaviour, Liberal Members of Parliament returned to Parliament Hill today to get back to working on issues important to Canadians.

"Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal caucus are showing real leadership. Despite Stephen Harper locking them out of the House of Commons, they are back on Parliament Hill and back at work," said Christian Provenzano, the Liberal candidate for Sault Ste. Marie & Area. "The average Canadian can't skip work when it becomes difficult, and neither should Stephen Harper."

Over the coming weeks, the Liberals will be hosting a series of round-table discussions and panels.

Some of the topics and participants include:

- Jobs, with sessions on manufacturing, natural resources, youth employment, high-tech and clean energy, led by Finance Critic John McCallum and Labour Critic Maria Minna

- Governance, with Peter Tinsley, Paul Kennedy and Linda Keen addressing partisan political interference at independent agencies and commissions, led by Democratic Reform Critic Marlene Jennings

- Women, recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and addressing women’s economic security, led by Status of Women Critic Anita Neville

- Veterans, with a keynote address by Senator Romeo Dallaire and sessions on post-traumatic stress disorder, the new veterans' charter, and the condition of soldiers returning from Afghanistan, led by Veterans Affairs Critic Rob Oliphant

- Alzheimer’s and dementia, to further discussions on research into the cause, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases, and to address strategies to ease the burden on caregivers and families of patients with these illnesses, led by Public Health Critic Dr. Kirsty Duncan; and

- Health Goals for Canada in 2017, a virtual forum featuring the Hon. Monique Bégin, Dr. Kumanan Wilson and Dr. Paulette Tremblay, led by Health Critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett.

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