Monthly round-up: the final year of Parliament begins

A rundown of what to expect this session, a look at the results of our summer survey, and a review of our regular weekly video updates.

Parliament is back and I’m looking forward to getting as much done as I can in this final year. And I’m still hopeful there’ll be runway until at least the spring, even without the stability of the supply deal.

Back in June, my team and I started doing weekly video round-ups - we call it Uncommons Weekly - and we’re back at it this fall. The idea is to complement the more policy-focused podcast with some commentary on the week that was in Parliament.

This past week, it was nuclear winter vs the carbon rebate, Poilievre vs Singh, and election speculation vs reality.

You can watch all past Uncommons Weekly episodes here. We’re also posting clips individually by topic on social media, including my thoughts on defence spending, immigration reform, the tough by-election loss in Toronto St. Paul’s, and how we should approach this parliamentary session.

If there’s a topic or idea you’d like me to touch on in these weekly rants, email me at info@beynate.ca. And remember to subscribe.

Summer review

For the first time in over a decade, I wasn’t campaigning over the summer. It meant I had the chance to coach Mack’s baseball team in East York and to spend more time with my family and also in our constituency office.

Of course, I was still present at events, from bigger ones like the Canada Day and Labour Day parades and the Beaches Jazz Fest, to smaller community-minded ones like the send-off for the Balmy Beach Canoe Olympic paddlers and the Pegasus picnic (this weekend we also celebrated 30 years of Pegasus serving our community, can’t say enough about the good work they do here).

Survey letter and common themes

And we did still knock on doors across our entire riding, with a survey letter asking for feedback on what’s gone well / poorly, thoughts on the direction of the government today, and what issues I should be an advocate for in this final year. We’ve done a number of survey letters over the years, and they do help to inform my advocacy.

Based on the responses, there are certainly some common themes.

Overwhelmingly, the government is seen to have successfully managed the first Trump presidency and NAFTA, responded forcefully to the pandemic, and delivered important social programs, from family benefits and child care, to dental care.

Many pointed to frustration with unsustainable immigration in the international student program (which I’ve written about before) and the temporary foreign worker program (you can watch my thoughts on that here). Housing unaffordability was also understandably a regular frustration as well.

In terms of priorities for the year, common themes included affordable housing and tackling homelessness, fixing healthcare (with a focus on mental health), support for Toronto (especially transit), online harms, meeting our NATO obligations, international peace (most wrote about Gaza), and continued action to address climate change and advance reconciliation.

The need for a strong economic agenda came up in a number of ways, including fiscal sustainability, revamped competition policy, stronger wage growth, and action to tackle wealth inequality.

If you missed filling out the survey over the summer, you can still add your ideas here.

Representing Canada on the world stage

In early August, I joined Don Davies and Charlie Angus (both NDP MPs) to represent Canada at a PanAmerican Congress hosted in Colombia, with representation from the US, Mexico, Brazil and a number of other countries across South America. The conversation focused on how progressive politics can and should defend democracy, advance serious climate action, and work towards international peace.

My presentation on defending democracy focused on three pillars: 1) the basics (anti-corruption measures, independence of institutions, campaign finance reform etc.), 2) the information eco-system (strong civic media and free speech protections, action to respond to foreign interference and disinformation on social media platforms etc.) and 3) delivering for people (if we can’t make it work for people, why would we expect people to defend it?).

Earlier this month, I also represented Canada at an Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in Armenia, together with about 150 MPs from 60 countries.

I stressed the importance of quality public education, spoke to Canada’s successful graduation rates, and recognized our history of discrimination against First Nations and the need to improve education opportunities for Indigenous communities.

I also spoke to rising youth employment in Canada, and the need to prioritize outcomes over announcements when we look at our employment and skills strategy. It presented an interesting opportunity for others to share practices in their home countries to support youth employment (and offered some ideas to take back with me).

Uncommons podcast and local events

The podcast took a bit of a hiatus over the summer, apart from this conversation with Matthew Mendelsohn focused on wealth inequality, inclusive growth, and the ability of this government (and governments in general) to tackle big challenges.

Wealth Inequality and Inclusive Growth with Matthew Mendelsohn

It’s taken forever to schedule the Prime Minister, but it looks like we may have him as a guest sooner than later now. And you can also expect to hear conversations in the coming weeks with former MP Lisa Raitt, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, and new economic advisor to the Liberal Party, Mark Carney.

As always, if you have suggestions for guests or topics, send them my way at info@beynate.ca.

Locally, we’ll likely host an in-person podcast recording (or two) this fall. And we’re working on a session for those who are interested in green retrofits, as there’s still a $40,000 interest-free federal loan available for home owners to reduce emissions.

We’re open to other ideas for hosting events this fall and spring, so be in touch.

What comes next?

Many people have asked me what comes next. And I really don’t know, except that I’m going to make the most of the time that I have left in Parliament.

For example, I’m working on a submission for the Fall Economic Statement (with a heavy emphasis on community housing), my pandemic prevention/preparedness bill will soon be debated in the Senate, and I’ll likely take the lead on some of the work to address foreign interference at the public safety committee.

With an election coming within the year, my advocacy will be focused on advancing ideas both in this parliament and into the platform. And, of course, I’ll continue to push the government on the issues that matter at the same time as I call out the conservative opposition for its many falsehoods.

All of that’s to say, we’re still here to help. And I will do my best to keep you updated over the course of this parliamentary session.

Nate