Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

Alice Wong was at the ceremony that commenced the Ottawa Protocol on Anti-Semitism.

Among its commitments, the Protocol calls for:
– Leaders of faith groups to combat all forms of hatred and discrimination, including anti-Semitism,
– Governments to establish an international task force to identify and monitor hate on the Internet, and it calls on governments to record all hate crimes, including anti-Semitism.
– Expresses a concern over anti-Semitism on campuses, and encourages local solutions to monitor and share best practices.

Such initiatives demonstrate Canada’s continued commitment to leading a coordinated global effort to fight anti-Semitism and all
forms of racism. Our zero tolerance of anti-Semitism and our actions to combat it are part of a larger effort to address racism and discrimination affecting other communities.

The following speech was given by Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney:

At the signing of the Ottawa Protocol
Ottawa, Ontario, September 19, 2011

Good evening,

I’m here tonight with my colleague, the Honourable John Baird, to mark a very important milestone in the fight against anti-Semitism.

While Canada is generally a tolerant and peaceful country, we cannot overlook the rise of this most pernicious form of racism.

Vandalism and graffiti have defaced synagogues and Jewish community centres. And even our university campuses experience anti-Semitic bullying.

Although Jews make up only about one percent of Canada’s population, they are the main target of hate crimes, with almost two-thirds of hate crimes targeting this religious group.

Any failure to acknowledge and address a rise in anti-Semitic actions – should we be so complacent – would be the same as condoning these hateful crimes.

When we see racism, intolerance and prejudice, we must take a stand. And I’m proud that Canada has become a world leader in combating anti-Semitism.

Canada had the largest delegation at the first meeting of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism Conference in London in 2009. And last fall we hosted the second Conference in Ottawa.

By unanimous consent, parliamentarians there received the Ottawa Protocol. By signing it today, we demonstrate the Government of Canada’s support for it and commitment to its goals.

Among its commitments, the Protocol calls for leaders of faith groups to combat all forms of hatred and discrimination, including anti-Semitism.

It calls on governments to establish an international task force to identify and monitor hate on the Internet. And it calls on governments to record all hate crimes, including anti-Semitism. It also expresses a concern over anti-Semitism on campuses, and encourages local solutions to monitor and share best practices.

The Protocol also calls on governments to reaffirm and implement the United Nations’ Genocide Convention of 1948. The Holocaust was a crime against humanity unlike any other in human history, and fundamentally altered how the world views and treats acts of genocide.

As the Genocide Convention states, “in order to liberate mankind from such an odious scourge, international co-operation is required.”

The Ottawa Protocol represents an important step in our overall strategy to help lead the global fight against anti-Semitism. This includes our membership in the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research.

To teach future generations of Canadians the lessons of the Holocaust and the effects of xenophobia, we have partnered with B’nai Brith Canada to invest in the National Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.

The task force brings together scholars, legal experts, educators, Holocaust survivors, and community representatives to further Holocaust research and education in Canada.

Learning about the errors of our past ensures they aren’t repeated. But we must remain vigilant.

In Nazi Germany the Jews were stripped of citizenship, denied their natural rights, and their very right to exist was called into question. In contemporary times, there are those who are trying to strip the State of Israel of its citizenship in the international community, circumscribe its right to exist and attack its natural rights as a member state in international society.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is a worrying new acceptance of the vilification of Israel and of Jews around the world. While criticism of Israel cannot in and of itself be regarded as anti-Semitic, if that criticism selectively condemns and denies the only Jewish state’s right to exist, it can create a hateful environment.

This coming Thursday, Canada will once again take a stand on the global stage against anti-Semitism, when we will refuse to participate in the 10th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action, sometimes called Durban 3.

I’m proud to say that Canada was the first country in the world to withdraw from the United Nations’ Durban Review Conference, or Durban 2. We refused to participate in what was clearly a tainted process that would not combat the very real problems of racism.

This was based on our concern about what happened at the first Durban conference, which included examples of anti-Semitism, including the circulation of copies of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and explicitly anti-Semitic symbolism.

Our stand was vindicated when Durban 2 was used by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a platform to disseminate hate and intolerance, and when the governments of Israel, the United States and several European Union members also boycotted the conference.

Canada is committed to the fight against racism. We cannot support an agenda that actually seeks to promote racism and anti-Semitism rather than combat it.

Ladies and gentlemen, Canada has a proud history of promoting human rights and combating hate and discrimination. Today, we continue this tradition by signing the Ottawa Protocol.

In doing so, we affirm our commitment to fight anti-Semitism, both in Canada and around the world. And we affirm our position as a leader in the global fight against anti-Semitism.

Thank you.

Alice Wong will be hosting a BBQ on August 27, 2011 at West Richmond Community Center (in Hugh Boyd Park, roughly at No. 1 and Francis) from 12:00 to 3:00pm.

Weather Canada predicts the weather will be Sunny, with Highs of 22.

A parking map is here (click the pictures for more detail):

May 28, 2011 ― The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), participated at the opening ceremonies of the Richmond Focus on Seniors Expo. Two pictures attached:

On May 18, 2011, Alice Wong was sworn into the privy council and appointed into cabinet as the Minister of State (Seniors). The following is a picture taken at Rideau Hall, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General David Johnston in the background.

A Proclamation has been received from His Excellency the Governor General which summons Parliament to meet for the dispatch of business at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2011. The order of business in the House of Commons will be the election of the Speaker. The Speech from the Throne is expected to be delivered by the Governor General on Friday, June 3, 2011.

For information on the Speakership and the Opening of Parliament, please consult the “Speaker and Other Presiding Officers” and “Parliamentary Cycle” sections of the Compendium of House of Commons Procedure.

The general election was held on Monday, May 2, 2011. Election results remain unofficial until the Chief Electoral Officer has confirmed the name of the Member of Parliament elected for each riding by transmitting certificates of election to the Clerk of the House of Commons. The last scheduled day for the return of the writs being Monday, May 23, 2011, the official list of elected Members is expected to be available beginning on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. In the meantime, the unofficial list of Members of Parliament is available from the Library of Parliament. A list of election candidates and unofficial election results is also provided for your convenience.

Alice Wong can be reached at the following phone numbers:

Richmond Office:
Phone: 604-775-5790 / 1-877-775-5790 (toll-free)
Fax: 604-775-6291
E-Mail: WongA1@parl.gc.ca

Ottawa Office:
Phone: 613-995-2021
Fax: 613-995-2174
E-Mail: Wong.A@parl.gc.ca

As a result of a recent news article, we are posting the following information on the Canada Health Act, specifically with respect to extra billing and user charges. You can read the entire Canada Health Act by clicking here.

Under section 18 to 21 (Extra Billing and User Charges), the Act states (emphasis added on Section 20):

Extra-billing
18. In order that a province may qualify for a full cash contribution referred to in section 5 for a fiscal year, no payments may be permitted by the province for that fiscal year under the health care insurance plan of the province in respect of insured health services that have been subject to extra-billing by medical practitioners or dentists.

User charges
19. (1) In order that a province may qualify for a full cash contribution referred to in section 5 for a fiscal year, user charges must not be permitted by the province for that fiscal year under the health care insurance plan of the province.

Limitation
     (2) Subsection (1) does not apply in respect of user charges for accommodation or meals provided to an in-patient who, in the opinion of the attending physician, requires chronic care and is more or less permanently resident in a hospital or other institution.

Deduction for extra-billing
20. (1) Where a province fails to comply with the condition set out in section 18, there shall be deducted from the cash contribution to the province for a fiscal year an amount that the Minister, on the basis of information provided in accordance with the regulations, determines to have been charged through extra-billing by medical practitioners or dentists in the province in that fiscal year or, where information is not provided in accordance with the regulations, an amount that the Minister estimates to have been so charged.

Deduction for user charges
     (2) Where a province fails to comply with the condition set out in section 19, there shall be deducted from the cash contribution to the province for a fiscal year an amount that the Minister, on the basis of information provided in accordance with the regulations, determines to have been charged in the province in respect of user charges to which section 19 applies in that fiscal year or, where information is not provided in accordance with the regulations, an amount that the Minister estimates to have been so charged.

The Minister of Health makes the determination whether there has been user charges or extra billing that has occurred in respect to insured health services.

Also, the phrase “cash contribution” in the above legislative text is commonly referred to in the media as “transfer payments”, or sometimes “health transfers”.

The Board of Internal Economy has released the expense reports for all Members of Parliament for the April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 fiscal year. You can view the report by member by clicking here.

Although this is not a competition, MP Alice Wong’s Members’ Expenditures ranked 29 out of 34 members (i.e. was the 5th lowest) in British Columbia (this excludes two members that were elected through by-elections in the fiscal year).

The salient details are attached here. For information, our previous year’s 2008-2009 fiscal year expenses are reported here.

Bill C-49 was introduced to the House of Commons today. It addresses the issue of human smuggling, and specifically does the following:

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SUMMARY
This enactment amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to, among other things,

(a) authorize the Minister, in certain circumstances, to designate as an irregular arrival the arrival in Canada of a group of persons, the result of which is that some of the foreign nationals in the group become designated foreign nationals;

(b) authorize an officer or the Minister, as the case may be, to refuse to consider an application for permanent residence if the applicant has failed to comply with a condition of release or other requirement imposed on them;

(c) provide that a person may not become a permanent resident as long as an application by the Minister for cessation of that person’s refugee protection is pending;

(d) add, as grounds for the detention of a permanent resident or foreign national, the existence of reasonable grounds to suspect that the person concerned is inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality, criminality or organized criminality;

(e) provide that the Immigration Division must impose any prescribed conditions on the release of certain designated foreign nationals;

(f) provide for detention rules and a review procedure that are specific to the detention of certain designated foreign nationals;

(g) clarify the authority of the Governor in Council to make regulations in respect of conditions of release from detention;

(h) provide that certain designated foreign nationals may not apply to become permanent residents until the expiry of a certain period and that the processing of any pending applications for permanent residence is suspended for a certain period;

(i) require certain designated foreign nationals on whom refugee protection has been conferred to report to an officer;

(j) authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations respecting the reporting requirements imposed on certain designated foreign nationals;

(k) provide that the offence of human smuggling is committed when a person organizes the coming into Canada of another person and knows, or is reckless as to whether, the entry into Canada is or would be in contravention of the Act;

(l) provide for minimum punishments for the offence of human smuggling in certain circumstances;

(m) in respect of the determination of the penalty to be imposed for certain offences, add as an aggravating factor the endangerment of the life or safety of any person as a result of the commission of the offence;

(n) change the definition of “criminal organization” in Part 3 to give it the same meaning as in subsection 467.1(1) of the Criminal Code; and

(o) extend the time for instituting proceedings by way of summary conviction from six months to five years.

The enactment also amends the Balanced Refugee Reform Act to provide that a refugee protection claimant whose claim is rejected is not prevented from applying for protection earlier than 12 months after the day on which the claim is rejected, if it is rejected as a result of a vacation of the initial decision to allow the claim.

The enactment also amends the Marine Transportation Security Act to increase the penalties for persons who fail to provide information required to be reported before a vessel enters Canadian waters or to comply with ministerial directions and for persons who provide false or misleading information. It creates a new offence for vessels that fail to comply with ministerial directions. It also amends the Act to authorize regulations respecting the disclosure of certain information for the purpose of protecting the safety or security of Canada or Canadians.

We are curious as to the opinion of the people in Richmond about potentially renaming YVR to Terry Fox Airport. If you live in Richmond and have an opinion on the matter, please send it to wonga7@parl.gc.ca along with your residential address.

Due to multiple media requests to comment on Bill C-391, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (repeal of long-gun registry), MP Alice Wong is making the following statement:

“On September 22, the House of Commons voted 153-151 to accept a recommendation from the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to not proceed any further with Bill C-391 – a bill that would have repealed the Long Gun Registry. Along with 150 other members of parliament, I voted against this motion as I wanted to see Bill C-391 come back to the House of Commons for third reading.

There has been some misunderstanding, even among members of the media, that this bill would scrap the firearms registry in its entirety. This is not true, as it would only exempt non-restricted firearms such as hunting rifles from registration. Restricted firearms, such as handguns, would still require mandatory registration.

Although I personally received minimal correspondence from constituents either for or against Bill C-391, nevertheless I supported it since I still believe the Long Gun Registry is an onerous bureaucratic burden on those who use firearms for recreational purposes. It has come at great cost to the taxpayer and its effectiveness is highly questionable.

At the same time, it is important to emphasize that whether firearms of any type are registered or not, there are strict laws governing their usage in Canada. The Conservative government has been and remains focused on enacting tough laws for criminals, especially those that use guns to commit criminal acts.

As an example, in the last Parliament the government introduced the Tackling Violent Crime Act, which included minimum sentences for crimes involving firearms. In the last session, Parliament passed into law Bill C-14, which introduced three new offenses for reckless discharges of firearms. In addition, for this session the government has seven new bills to help catch criminals and keep them off our streets.

No matter what the status of the firearm registry is, we will be tough on criminals, whether they choose to commit their crimes with firearms or not.”