Released Monday, February 13, 2012
MHA Dale Kirby (St. John’s North), NDP Critic for Education and Advanced Education and Skills, is congratulating teachers to mark Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“The work that teachers and school support staff do on a daily basis is fundamental to our children’s education and to the future of our province,” said Kirby. “I hope everyone takes a few moments this week to thank these professionals for the very important work they do for us all.”
Kirby points out that it is the provincial government’s responsibility to ensure that proper supports and resources are made available so that teachers and support staff are best able to do their work.
“I’d like to see more than just a pat on the back from government during Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week,” says Kirby. “If this government truly appreciates the work done by teachers and school support staff, they will provide the resources our schools need to make certain teachers and staff work in healthy and professional environments.”
Kirby reiterated the NDP’s call for funding for more teachers, student assistants, training and professional development for the delivery of student support services and to reduce class sizes for Levels I to III.
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week runs from February 13 – 18, 2012. The theme this year is "Kids Say It Best".
Tuesday, 14 February, 2012
Kirby thanks teachers and calls on government to provide adequate resources
Wednesday, 1 February, 2012
Government must keep promises to students: Kirby
For Immediate Release
February 1, 2012
NDP Advanced Education Critic Dale Kirby (MHA, St. John’s North) agrees with the Canadian Federation of Students that “Education is a Right.” Access to quality, affordable post-secondary education is a cause that he has championed for a decade and a half.
“I was involved in organizing many protests and demonstrations during my years with the student movement,” said Kirby. “This kind of direct participation from students is invaluable and has a real effect on public policy. I speak from experience - I was there when we successfully lobbied for and won the original tuition fee freeze in 1999.”
“Even the Dunderdale Conservatives have picked up on the calls from students. In the recent election campaign they committed to a long-standing NDP policy – to replace provincial student loans with needs-based grants,” he said.
“On Tuesday, the Premier told the St. John’s Board of Trade that her election promises would be implemented on the basis of affordability. I hope this includes her government’s promise to make post-secondary education more affordable for students,” said Kirby.
Kirby asked, “Can the premier confirm for us today that the upcoming budget will include the promised funding to eliminate provincial student loans over four years, and replace them with up-front needs-based grants? I know my caucus stands behind our election commitments.”
Dale Kirby was the Newfoundland and Labrador Representative on the National Executive of the Canadian Federation of Students from 1996 to 1997. He then served as Chairperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador component of the Canadian Federation of Students from 1997 to 1999. Kirby was part of the leadership team that ran the successful campaign to freeze college and university tuition fees.
Saturday, 28 January, 2012
Kirby outlines expectations for statutory review of WHSCC
Released Friday, January 27, 2012
NDP Labour Critic Dale Kirby (MHA, St. John’s North) says he will be closely watching the upcoming statutory review of the legislation governing the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission. His main hope is that serious issues facing the Commission’s ability to protect injured workers in the future will be adequately addressed.
“Our province’s economy and labour market are undergoing major changes, and these will become more profound in the years to come,” says Kirby. “I hope the commissioners will recognize this and consider strong, sustainable, forward-thinking direction for our system of workers’ compensation. Workers and employers in this province deserve a system that is more responsive to their needs.”
Kirby hopes that new legislation will increase the maximum compensable income to better reflect the province’s changing economy. In addition, he says, “We need an increased sensitivity to the devastation caused by occupational diseases, and a reflection of that in compensation for victims. Regulations should also include a more sensible regional approach to labour market re-entry, and early and safe return to work arrangements that better support and promote the rehabilitation of injured workers.
“I am looking forward to seeing these issues recognized and incorporated into the recommendations,” says Kirby. “I look forward to giving the review committee a more detailed presentation outlining my concerns.”
Sunday, 22 January, 2012
Town Hall Meeting Agenda
- Sign-in and Refreshments 7:00 pm - 7:20 pm
- Welcome and Introductions 7:20 pm – 7:30 pm
- MHA Update 7:30 pm – 7:50 pm
- Open Question and Dialogue Session 7:50 pm – 8:20 pm
- Closing Remarks 8:20 pm - 8:25 pm
- Socializing & Informal Discussion 8:25 pm - 8:50 pm
Tuesday, 17 January, 2012
Government must help engineering students
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
NDP Advanced Education and Skills critic Dale Kirby (MHA, St. John’s North) is calling on government to help engineering students needing work term placements.
“This term more than 100 engineering students are having trouble getting a placement for their scheduled work term,” says Kirby. “With more big industrial projects developing in this province than ever before, I hope government would see both the immediate and the long term benefits of helping these young people get invaluable workplace experience.”
Due to changes in the engineering program, says Kirby, there are currently more than the usual number of students looking for a temporary placement this term. It is this change that has caused the shortfall of placements.
Kirby says government has to help deal with this increase in demand for work term placements.
“The goal of the cooperative education program is to give young engineering students practical experience so they will graduate as the highly qualified and knowledgeable professionals we need in this province,” says Kirby. “We are going to need these young people and their expertise. I hope government will see that investing in these short term placements is money well spent.”
Sunday, 15 January, 2012
A call to debate Muskrat Falls
Last week on CBC's On Point program, I challenged representatives from the other political parties on the need to have a proper debate about the Muskrat Falls project. The full program is available online here. The segment I appear in starts about 8 min 10 secs into the program.
As I mentioned in the show, government's decision on the Muskrat Falls Project is probably the most important one to be made by our provincial government in my lifetime. I can't think of an exception. The implications for the cost of power, for provincial spending, and increasing the size of the provincial debt will impact Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for generations.
Instead of fully debating Muskrat Falls with all of the necessary information, our government appears to be intent on barreling ahead and making a decision with piecemeal information in hand. Premier Dunderdale has her foot on the accelerator and she has indicated that there will be no slowing down, no matter how concerned anyone is about how fast she is driving her agenda on Muskrat Falls.
The thing is, Premier Dunderdale and her government know they have a big problem on their hands.
The problem is that the more we learn about the Muskrat Falls project, the more it is studied, the more is scrutinized, the more it appears that the plan for the Muskrat Falls project is fraught with very high risks, that alternatives have not been properly examined, and that more and more citizens are becoming aware of these problems.
Last summer, Muskrat Falls failed a joint federal/provincial environmental review. More recently, government has rejected a request from the Public Utilities Board (PUB) for the additional time needed to conduct a thorough review of the project. Moreover, with each passing week there are more and more individuals raising questions and expressing reservations about Muskrat.
My colleagues and I in the provincial NDP Caucus are calling for a Special Session of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly to ensure a full review and debate of the Muskrat Falls project.
Special Sessions of the Legislature were called to change the Fishery Products International Limited Act and to debate the Voisey's Bay Agreement. We need to have a Special Session of the House of Assembly to ensure that the Muskrat Falls project is economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and to the benefit of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Tuesday, 10 January, 2012
Our democratic deficit - Private member’s bills
Memorial University of Newfoundland political science professor Alex Marland penned a timely article in the Canadian Parliamentary Review last fall. The piece raises a number of questions about the operations and functions of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, including its diminishing status under the current government.
The following excerpt on private member’s bills illustrates the need for democratic reform in our province (emphasis added by me):
Members who do not belong to cabinet have a small influence on public policy and have a more limited legislative presence than is the case in other provinces. In other parliamentary systems, members introduce a private member’s bill to propose legislation in an attempt to raise public awareness of issues and to hold the government to account. In Newfoundland, non-cabinet members may speak for 15 minutes on Wednesdays (the designated private members day) when they can introduce motions, which could include urging policy change.
But unlike other legislatures, the rules for a private member’s bill require completion of all three readings in the same day, and the resulting impossibility of meeting such a stringent requirement is symbolic of the strength of the political executive and the lack of effective opposition. Consequently a private member’s bill has never been passed.
