From: Chrystia Freeland <Chrystia.Freeland@fin.gc.ca>
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 2:32 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: I wonder if anyone read my email today
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
The
Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
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From: Holland, Mark - M.P. <Mark.Holland@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: I wonder if anyone read my email today
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Hello,
Thank you for contacting the Office of The Honourable Mark Holland, Member of Parliament for Ajax and Minister of Health. Your correspondence has been received and will be reviewed.
To ensure all correspondence is processed in a timely manner we ask that you reach out to the point of contact that corresponds with the nature of your inquiry. For general inquiries, our office will review your correspondence and work to issue you a reply. Please note that inquiries from Ajax constituents will be prioritized. If you are not an Ajax constituent and require assistance in determining your Member of Parliament, please see this helpful resource:
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1-100 Old Kingston Rd. Ajax, ON L1T 2Z9
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P Before printing this e-mail, think about the Environment
From: Fraser, Sean - M.P. <Sean.Fraser@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 2:34 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: I wonder if anyone read my email today
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for your contacting the constituency office of Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova and Minister responsible for Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
This is an automated reply.
If you are looking to discuss matters related to housing, infrastructure or communities, please reach out to Minister-Ministre@infc.gc.ca.
Please note that all correspondence is read, however due to the high volume of emails we receive on a daily basis there may be a delay in getting back to you.
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Merci d'avoir contacté le bureau de circonscription de Sean Fraser, député de Central Nova. Il s'agit d'une réponse automatisée.
Le Ministre Fraser est maintenant le Ministre du Logement, de l'Infrastructure et des Collectivités et les questions relatives à IRCC doivent être adressées à IRCC. Cette boîte de réception ne peut pas répondre aux questions relatives à IRCC, à moins que vous ne résidiez dans Central Nova.
Pour contacter le service de l'immigration, des réfugiés et de la citoyenneté, veuillez envoyer un courriel à Minister@cic.gc.ca. Pour vous renseigner sur l'état d'un dossier d'immigration, cliquez ici, ou contactez votre député local pour obtenir de l'aide.
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At least 24 Liberal MPs tell Trudeau to step aside in face-to-face meeting | Power & Politics
How the internal push to force Trudeau to resign played out — and what might happen next
Some Liberal MPs said Trudeau needs to decide whether he is going to stay on as leader by Oct. 28
Internal calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign as Liberal leader were aired out behind closed doors Wednesday as Liberal MPs met on Parliament Hill.
All party caucuses meet weekly when the House of Commons is sitting. Liberal MPs who want Trudeau to step down used Wednesday's meeting to deliver their grievances to the prime minister in person.
Here's what happened behind the scenes, what MPs said after the meeting and what could happen in the coming weeks.
What happened in the caucus meeting?
Sources speaking to Radio-Canada said that 24 MPs signed an agreement to call on Trudeau to step down as Liberal leader.
Two sources told CBC News that B.C. MP Patrick Weiler read out a separate document — which laid out an argument for Trudeau's resignation — during the meeting.
Weiler pointed to the boost that Democrats gained after U.S. President Joe Biden backed out of the presidential race and suggested the Liberals could see a similar rebound.
(CBC News/Radio-Canada has reached out to Weiler for comment.)
MPs were given two minutes each to address the room during the three-hour-long meeting. About 20 — none of them cabinet ministers — stood up to urge Trudeau to step aside before the next election, sources said. But a number of MPs also stood to voice support for the prime minister.
The dissident MPs gave Trudeau until Oct. 28 to decide on his future, sources said. But no consequences attached to that deadline were mentioned in the document read to caucus Wednesday.
The prime minister himself addressed the meeting and two MPs told CBC News that he became emotional when he talked about his children having to see "F--- Trudeau" signs in public.
At the end of the meeting, Trudeau said he would reflect on what he heard but didn't indicate that he would resign.
What was said after the meeting?
Several MPs left Wednesday's meeting indicating that they'd had an open conversation on which caucus members needed to reflect. Others said that the party is "united" in fighting the Conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre.
"It was a great discussion, the type of discussion that Canadians would be proud to see," Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said.
"What really matters in the end is that we come out of that caucus meeting united, resolved and delivering for Canadians."
"One thing that we're united on — everybody — is beating Poilievre," Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada said.
‘Everyone was quite honest’ during Liberal caucus meeting, says MillerImmigration Minister Marc Miller acknowledged the frustrations of some MPs and said he respects those who voiced those frustrations directly to the prime minister.
"Fundamentally, this is something that has been simmering for some time and it's important for people to get it out," he said.
"This isn't a code red situation. The prime minister can sure as hell handle the truth."
Ontario MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith said it was a "healthy conversation" but argued that Trudeau needs to take the message from disaffected MPs to heart.
"The prime minister has to listen to the frustrations — and in some cases the really valid frustrations — of his caucus colleagues and incorporate that into changes moving forward," he told reporters as he left the caucus meeting.
It's not clear what changes Liberal MPs are asking for, or if Trudeau promised anything. Erskine-Smith indicated that he thinks the Liberals need to focus on advertising.
The Conservatives have spent millions of dollars on TV, radio and online ads, while the Liberals have spent only a few hundred thousand, essentially ceding the field to the opposition, he said.
Some MPs, including Erskine-Smith, said infighting might be causing the party more harm than good.
"My colleagues need to turn their knives outwards and not inwards," Esrkine-Smith said.
Liberal
Member of Parliament Charles Sousa rises during question period in the
House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 1,
2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Ontario MP Charles Sousa suggested internal dissent would only help the Conservatives.
"I think the caucus recognizes that we have to stay united. We can't fall prey to the fearmongering … the other guys, they can smell blood, they can smell fear. We can't let that be the case," Sousa told reporters after the caucus meeting.
"We need to focus on the most important thing, which is getting things done here in Parliament and taking the fight to Pierre Poilievre."
While a number of MPs wouldn't offer any comment on the meeting, others left saying that everyone in caucus will have to reflect on what was said.
"We heard every angle, every aspect of this and what it's left us with is something to go away and think about," B.C. MP Ken Hardie said.
What happens next?
Despite the pressure on Trudeau, the decision on whether to stay or go ultimately rests with him. He has said repeatedly he wants to lead the party into the next election; it remains to be seen if Wednesday's meeting will make him reconsider.
"It's the decision of the leader of the party whether he stays on as leader. That is Mr. Trudeau's decision," MP Yvan Baker told reporters after the caucus meeting.
P.E.I. MP Sean Casey, who has publicly called on the prime minister to step aside, said Wednesday that he wished caucus could have a secret ballot vote on Trudeau's leadership.
"I wish there was a mechanism for it," Casey told reporters on his way into the caucus meeting.
The Liberal caucus could have had a secret ballot option if MPs had agreed to adopt the provisions in the 2015 Reform Act — legislation meant to make party leaders more accountable to their caucus members.
Under the act, if 20 per cent of caucus members sign a petition calling for a leadership review, a vote is triggered. If a majority of the MPs vote against the leader, they are forced to step down. This measure was used to oust former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole in 2022.
But the Reform Act states that parties must vote on whether to adopt its measures after each general election and the Liberals have never done so. Even if the Liberals did have the Reform Act option at their disposal, the 24 MPs who signed the document wouldn't be enough to force the vote.
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole was ousted by his party under provisions in the Reform Act. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
The Liberal Party does have a "leadership endorsement" ballot option built into its constitution. This mechanism allows registered Liberals to vote on whether they still support the current leader at the party's national convention — but the vote is only triggered if the party loses a general election.
New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, another vocal Trudeau detractor, was asked ahead of Wednesday's meeting if he thought a signed letter from MPs would make a difference.
"I don't know … I signed it because I believed in what the letter said and I believe in not standing in the shadows. I believe in standing up and doing what needs to be done," he told reporters outside of Parliament.
"It's incumbent on me and all my colleagues to do what we think is best for our party. And what's best for our party is a change in leadership."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Rosemary Barton, Catherine Cullen, David Cochrane, Ashely Burke and Aaron Wherry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLRXhqaDqYk
Liberal MP says Trudeau should face leadership review | Power & Politics
493 Comments
Some Liberal MPs issue a deadline to Trudeau: make up your mind to stay or go by Oct. 28
Some Liberals want Trudeau to rethink his commitment to stay on as leader
Some Liberal MPs issued a deadline to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday: decide in the next few days if you want to stay on as leader or face some unspecified consequences.
For weeks, anti-Trudeau MPs have been meeting in secret to convince caucus members to band together and push him out of the top job to save the party from electoral ruin.
After nine years in government, Trudeau's popularity has plummeted. The CBC Poll Tracker shows the Conservatives have a 19-point lead over the governing Liberals, a margin that suggests dozens of Liberal MPs could be out of a job after the next vote.
In that context, some 24 Liberal MPs have signed a document calling on Trudeau to go.
Sources said MP Patrick Weiler read a letter to Trudeau today during the party's caucus meeting on Parliament Hill, laying out the arguments in favour of the prime minister resigning now.
That letter included a demand: Trudeau should make a choice about his future before Oct. 28.
About 20 MPs — none of them cabinet ministers — also stood up in the Liberal caucus meeting today to urge Trudeau to rethink his pledge to stay on as leader into the next election, sources told CBC News.
"I didn't think they would put an ultimatum on the table. That shows they have a great deal of resolve here that was unanticipated," one MP told CBC News.
Sources said Trudeau looked uncomfortable at times as MPs questioned his leadership.
The prime minister also got emotional at one point as he told MPs about the toll his long political career has taken on his three children, sources said.
Sources said Trudeau told caucus he would take some time to reflect after hearing their concerns about his viability as leader.
When Trudeau emerged from the meeting, his only comment to reporters was that "the Liberal Party is strong and united."
Watch the moment Trudeau leaves the caucus room where some MPs called for him to resignTrudeau could decide to press on as leader even if he's dealing with significant discontent in his caucus.
It's not clear what disgruntled Liberals would do if Trudeau simply ignores their demands to step aside by the specified deadline of Oct. 28.
Three MPs have come forward publicly to say they signed a caucus document committing them to making the case for Trudeau's resignation: Newfoundland's Ken McDonald, Prince Edward Island's Sean Casey and New Brunswick's Wayne Long.
McDonald, Casey and Long have all said that while they want Trudeau to go, they're not yet willing to leave the party and sit as Independents.
Speaking briefly to reporters before the caucus meeting, Casey said he'd like to see a secret vote to decide Trudeau's future: "I wish there was a mechanism for it, yes."
McDonald told CBC's Power & Politics Tuesday that he and other dissenters have also discussed voting against the government if there's another non-confidence vote and they don't see evidence that Trudeau and his team are taking their concerns seriously.
Liberal MP Ken McDonald: 'The prime minister has to start listening to the people.' (Olivia Stefanovich/CBC)
Asked by reporters Wednesday if he's still considering such a move, McDonald said he was, "but, right now, it's not something I would do."
"The prime minister has to start listening to the people," he added. "You have to try and get people back onside."
Long told reporters he's part of this movement to take on Trudeau because he thinks Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is a danger to the country — and can be beaten by a different Liberal leader.
"The Liberal Party is an institution in this country, it's bigger than one person, one leader, and it's incumbent on us as elected officials that we put our best foot forward," he said.
Wayne
Long, MP for Saint John-Rothesay, speaks as Trudeau looks on during a
visit to New Brunswick in January 2024. Long has signed a document that
commits Liberal MPs to pushing for Trudeau to step down. (Michael Hawkins/Canadian Press)
Long, who isn't running in the next election, said that while the party needs "a change in leadership ... in the end caucus majority will rule" and he will respect whatever comes.
MPs emerged from the meeting saying it's ultimately up to Trudeau to decide what to do about his future after hearing about the considerable discontent first-hand.
"It's the decision of the leader of the party whether he stays on as leader. That is Mr. Trudeau's decision," said Liberal MP Yvan Baker.
"My sense is that Mr. Trudeau is still the leader," said MP Joël Lightbound.
Other MPs expressed confidence in Trudeau's ability to take on Poilievre in the next election.
"We're 100 per cent behind Mr. Trudeau," said MP Francis Drouin.
"We're united to defeat Mr. Poilievre," said MP Kevin Lamoureux.
"I'm proud of this team and we'll fight Mr. Poilievre in the next election," said National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
"It was a great discussion and what really matters in the end is we come out of this caucus meeting united," added Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
‘Everyone was quite honest’ during Liberal caucus meeting, says MillerImmigration Minister Marc Miller said he doesn't expect Trudeau will step down.
Miller, who is a close personal friend of Trudeau, said some tensions have been "simmering" in caucus and he "respects the hell out of my colleagues who were brave and stood up and said things to [Trudeau's] face."
"This isn't a code red situation. The prime minister can sure as hell handle the truth," Miller said.
Asked if Trudeau should rethink his plans to stay on, Miller said that's up to him.
"He's quite clear about his intentions and I don't expect those to change," he said.
Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who is known for being a caucus maverick, told reporters as he left the caucus room that he thinks there's a path forward for Trudeau — if he and his team are open to some meaningful changes.
"The prime minister has to listen to the frustrations and, in some cases, very valid frustrations of caucus colleagues and incorporate that into changes moving forward," he said.
Liberal
MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must
listen to and act on the frustrations of Liberal caucus members. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
He said the Liberal Party's decision to essentially stop advertising is a problem.
The Conservatives have spent millions of dollars on TV, radio and online ads, while the Liberals have spent only a few hundred thousand, essentially ceding the field to the opposition, he said.
But Erskine-Smith said he hopes wayward MPs "stop the palace intrigue," although he conceded talk of Trudeau's future likely won't end today.
"I think we're likely to have a few more conversations," he said.
"My colleagues need to turn the knives outwards and not inwards and we need to focus on the most important thing, which is getting things done here in Parliament and taking the fight to Pierre Poilievre, because he's a disaster for this country."
While Trudeau considers his future, there's also a petition circulating that calls on caucus to force a "confidence vote" so that Liberal MPs and the party's national executive can have a chance to vote on the leadership question.
The petition says that if Trudeau fails to secure enough support in that vote, the party should pick an interim leader and launch a leadership race to be completed no later than June 1, 2025.
This initiative, called "Project Code Red," was organized not by MPs but by some Young Liberal members and former staffers.
"Remember this … the very survival of the Canada we have built and, with the benefit of your sound judgment, will continue to build, is now at stake," the unsigned petition says.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from the CBC's David Cochrane, Ashley Burke, Catherine Cullen
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Subject: I wonder if anyone read my email today
To: <jp.tasker@cbc.ca>, <bill.wilkerson@mentalhealthinternational.ca>, <Ken.McDonald@parl.gc.ca>, pierre.poilievre <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, Jason Lavigne <jason@yellowhead.vote>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, <Yvonne.Jones@parl.gc.ca>, blaine.higgs <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, Jacques.Poitras <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, Robert. Jones <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>, <patty.borthwick@nbliberal.ca>, <dave.gouthro@nbliberal.ca>, rob.moore <rob.moore@parl.gc.ca>, ragingdissident <ragingdissident@protonmail.com>, <Rob.weir.riverview@gmail.com>, robert.mckee <robert.mckee@gnb.ca>, robert.gauvin <robert.gauvin@gnb.ca>, Bill.Oliver <Bill.Oliver@gnb.ca>, <DonMonahan@hotmail.com>, John.Williamson <John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, fin.minfinance-financemin.fin <fin.minfinance-financemin.fin@canada.ca>, Sean.Casey <Sean.Casey@parl.gc.ca>, Sean.Fraser <Sean.Fraser@parl.gc.ca>, Marco.Mendicino <Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, <peter.mackay@mcinnescooper.com>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, <ps.publicsafetymcu-securitepubliqueucm.sp@canada.ca>, Kerry-Lynne.Findlay <Kerry-Lynne.Findlay@parl.gc.ca>, Andy.Fillmore <Andy.Fillmore@parl.gc.ca>, Wayne.Long <Wayne.Long@parl.gc.ca>, premier <premier@ontario.ca>
Cc: mark.holland <mark.holland@parl.gc.ca>, darrow.macintyre <darrow.macintyre@cbc.ca>, Bill.Blair <Bill.Blair@parl.gc.ca>, <ps.publicsafetymcu-securitepubliqueucm.sp@canada.ca>, <elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca>, elizabeth.may <elizabeth.may@parl.gc.ca>, jake.stewart <jake.stewart@parl.gc.ca>, jagmeet.singh <jagmeet.singh@parl.gc.ca>, JAG.Minister <JAG.Minister@gov.bc.ca>, Office of the Premier <scott.moe@gov.sk.ca>, premier <premier@gov.ab.ca>, premier <premier@ontario.ca>, premier <premier@gov.yk.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nl.ca>, premier <premier@gov.pe.ca>, premier <premier@gov.bc.ca>, premier <premier@leg.gov.mb.ca>, justin.trudeau <justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca>, JUSTMIN <JUSTMIN@novascotia.ca>
Wednesday 23 October 2024
Minister says he doesn't 'expect' Trudeau to step down as MPs confront PM at caucus meeting
Minister says he doesn't 'expect' Trudeau to step down as MPs confront PM at caucus meeting
Some Liberals want Trudeau to rethink his commitment to stay on as leader
Special Coverage: Liberal MPs meet amid challenge to Trudeau's leadershipImmigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday he doesn't expect Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will step down even as at least 24 of his own MPs are calling for his resignation as party leader.
Speaking briefly to reporters after dipping out of today's ongoing Liberal caucus meeting early, Miller said some disaffected MPs told Trudeau to his face how they're feeling.
Miller, who is a close personal friend of Trudeau, said there's been some tensions "simmering" in caucus and he "respects the hell out of my colleagues who were brave and stood up and said things to [Trudeau's] face."
"This isn't a code red situation. The prime minister can sure as hell handle the truth," Miller said.
‘Everyone was quite honest’ during Liberal caucus meeting, says MillerTrudeau has said he's not going anywhere and will lead the party into the next election.
Asked if Trudeau should rethink his plans, Miller said that's up to him.
"He's quite clear about his intentions and I don't expect those to change," he said.
As national polls suggest the Liberal Party is headed for defeat in the next election, some disaffected Liberal MPs are taking to the mic at their national caucus meeting to urge Trudeau to call it quits.
After nine years in government, Trudeau's popularity has plummeted. The CBC Poll Tracker shows the Conservatives have a 19-point lead over the governing Liberals, a margin that suggests dozens of Liberal MPs could be out of a job after the next vote.
The prospect of an electoral implosion has led some Liberal MPs to organize an effort to oust Trudeau as party leader.
Some Liberal MPs have been meeting in secret and signing a document committing themselves to pushing Trudeau out of the top job.
Sources speaking to Radio-Canada, CBC's French-language service, said Wednesday that 24 MPs have signed the document calling on Trudeau to go.
Three MPs have come forward publicly to say they have signed the document: Newfoundland's Ken McDonald, Prince Edward Island's Sean Casey and New Brunswick's Wayne Long.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau arrives to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct.
23. In a national caucus meeting today, some disaffected Liberal MPs are
expected to take the mic to urge him to call it quits. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
All three of those MPs are long-standing critics of Trudeau. The names of other MPs who signed the letter may also be made known today.
No one seems to know what could come out of this potentially fractious caucus meeting, or whether a letter bearing the names of disgruntled MPs will prompt Trudeau to change his mind.
Trudeau could decide to press on as leader even if he's dealing with significant discontent in his caucus. He has said repeatedly that he will lead the party into the next election.
McDonald, Casey and Long have all said that while they want Trudeau to go, they're not yet willing to leave the party and sit as Independents.
The move to oust Trudeau could lead to a seismic development in federal politics — or simply fizzle out like past efforts to challenge the prime minister.
It's not just the polls that signal trouble on the horizon for the Liberals. Liberal MPs are also anxious about Trudeau and his team losing two byelections in historically rock-solid Liberal ridings in Toronto and Montreal.
The Liberal candidate in another recent Winnipeg-area byelection posted one of the worst results for a governing party in Canadian history.
Speaking briefly to reporters before the caucus meeting, Casey said he'd like to see a secret vote to decide Trudeau's future: "I wish there was a mechanism for it, yes."
McDonald told CBC's Power & Politics Tuesday that he and other dissenters have discussed voting against the government if there's another non-confidence vote, and they don't see evidence that Trudeau and his team are taking their concerns seriously.
Asked by reporters Wednesday if he's still considering such a move, McDonald said he was, "but, right now, it's not something I would do."
"I think the caucus is nervous because of the polling — it's constantly going down and there's a lot of people who want to run again," McDonald said.
"The prime minister has to start listening to the people," he said. "You have to try and get people back onside."
Long told reporters he's part of this movement to take on Trudeau because he thinks Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is a danger to country — and can also be beat by a different Liberal leader.
"The Liberal Party is an institution in this country, it's bigger than one person, one leader and it's incumbent on us as elected officials that we put our best foot forward," he said.
Long, who isn't running in the next election, said the party needs "a change in leadership," but that "in the end caucus majority will rule" and he will respect whatever comes from the discussion.
Ken
McDonald, Liberal MP for Conception Bay South in Newfoundland and
Labrador, pitched a rural carbon tax carve-out to the prime minister at
the national Liberal caucus meeting in London, Ont. (Olivia Stefanovich/CBC)
Asked if he signed the document, Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi wouldn't say, but added he's encouraged it has prompted a discussion about Trudeau's future: "This is the first time we're talking about it openly and honestly."
As to whether he supports Trudeau staying on, he said, "The key thing is we're having this conversation. I support us having this conversation."
Zuberi said he would be taking the mic to address Trudeau during the meeting.
"This will be a full conversation."
On the other side, long-time Liberal MP Judy Sgro told reporters "there's no one more committed to Canadians and representing the Liberals values than Justin Trudeau," and said she will run again for the party at the next election.
Asked if she'd put Trudeau's face on her election signs, Sgro laughed and said that was up to the campaign team.
Sgro, who was first elected in 1999 and served in the Liberal caucus during the fractious Jean Chrétien-Paul Martin years, said this effort to oust Trudeau is nothing new for the party.
"It's not the first time," she said, when asked if the infighting is a distraction.
Election readiness is something that's making some MPs anxious.
The party's national campaign director quit in early September. The party took weeks to announce a replacement.
Four more of Trudeau's cabinet ministers have announced, or are expected to announce soon, that they will not run again in the next election, sources have told CBC News.
That news came after MP Pablo Rodriguez left caucus to sit as an Independent while transitioning away from federal politics to run for the Quebec Liberal Party leadership.
Still, Trudeau has support from his cabinet.
Miller has called the efforts to oust Trudeau "garbage" and said it would be better for the team to pull together to take on their main opponent: Poilievre.
Immigration minister calls efforts to oust Trudeau ‘garbage’"Any minute spent on this garbage is a minute that's not spent on Pierre Poilievre and what he wants to do to this country, and I think that is very dangerous," Miller told reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting Tuesday.
"I'm a member of his cabinet and obviously we support him," said Housing Minister Sean Fraser.
Wayne
Long, MP for Saint John-Rothesay, speaks as Trudeau looks on during a
visit to New Brunswick in January 2024. Long has signed a document that
commits Liberal MPs to pushing for Trudeau to step down. (Michael Hawkins/Canadian Press)
Echoing Miller, Fraser said it's Poilievre who's the real problem.
"We are up against somebody who is campaigning on promises to deny access to free birth control for women, who won't even get a security clearance to look into allegations about his own caucus members being engaged in foreign interference," he said, citing Poilievre's controversial decision to forgo getting the necessary credentials to review top-secret documents.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson predicted this latest attempt to take Trudeau down will fail.
"At the end of the day, we will have a robust debate, we will come out with, in my view, support for the prime minister and move forward with the election," he said.
While Liberal MPs debate Trudeau's future, there's also a petition circulating that calls on caucus to force a "confidence vote" so that Liberal MPs and the party's national executive can have a chance to vote on the leadership question.
The petition says that if Trudeau fails to secure enough support in that vote, the party should pick an interim leader and launch a leadership race to be completed no later than June 1, 2025.
"Remember this … the very survival of the Canada we have built and, with the benefit of your sound judgment, will continue to build, is now at stake," the unsigned petition says.
This initiative, called "Project Code Red," was organized not by MPs but by some Young Liberal members and former staffers.
Andrew Perez, a spokesperson for the Liberals behind this petition, said this should not be interpreted as "an assault on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau" but rather as a "wake-up call for Liberals."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 1:07 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: , I wonder if Ken McDonald ever read my emails
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
The
Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
comments.
Le ministère des Finances Canada accuse réception de votre courriel. Nous vous assurons que vos commentaires sont les bienvenus.
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 1:07 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: , I wonder if Ken McDonald ever read my emails
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for your contacting the constituency office of Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova and Minister responsible for Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
This is an automated reply.
If you are looking to discuss matters related to housing, infrastructure or communities, please reach out to Minister-Ministre@infc.gc.ca.
Please note that all correspondence is read, however due to the high volume of emails we receive on a daily basis there may be a delay in getting back to you.
Priority will be given to residents of Central Nova.
To ensure we get back to you in a timely manner, please include your full name, home address including postal code and phone number when reaching out.
Thank you.
-------------
Merci d'avoir contacté le bureau de circonscription de Sean Fraser, député de Central Nova. Il s'agit d'une réponse automatisée.
Le Ministre Fraser est maintenant le Ministre du Logement, de l'Infrastructure et des Collectivités et les questions relatives à IRCC doivent être adressées à IRCC. Cette boîte de réception ne peut pas répondre aux questions relatives à IRCC, à moins que vous ne résidiez dans Central Nova.
Pour contacter le service de l'immigration, des réfugiés et de la citoyenneté, veuillez envoyer un courriel à Minister@cic.gc.ca. Pour vous renseigner sur l'état d'un dossier d'immigration, cliquez ici, ou contactez votre député local pour obtenir de l'aide.
Veuillez noter que toute la correspondance est lue, mais qu'en raison du volume élevé de courriels que nous recevons quotidiennement, il se peut que nous ne puissions pas vous répondre dans les meilleurs délais.
Pour que nous puissions vous répondre dans les meilleurs délais, veuillez indiquer votre nom complet, votre adresse personnelle, y compris le code postal, et votre numéro de téléphone lorsque vous nous contactez.
Nous vous remercions.
Facebook : facebook.com/SeanFraserMP
Twitter : @SeanFraserMP
Instagram : SeanFraserMP
Sans frais : 1-844-641-5886
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 1:07 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: , I wonder if Ken McDonald ever read my emails
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for contacting the Honourable Rob Moore, P.C., M.P. office. We appreciate the time you took to get in touch with our office.
If you did not already, please ensure to include your full contact details on your email and the appropriate staff will be able to action your request. We strive to ensure all constituent correspondence is responded to in a timely manner.
If your question or concern is time sensitive, please call our office: 506-832-4200.
Again, we thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore, P.C., M.P.
Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 1:07 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: , I wonder if Ken McDonald ever read my emails
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
thank you for contacting the office of Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, PC KC MP
South Surrey White Rock Constituents
To
ensure your inquiry is handled efficiently, could you please reply to
this message with your complete mailing address including postal code?
If you aren’t sure which riding you live in, please click on this link.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/
Let’s Stay in Touch
Stay current on the work I’m doing in Ottawa and in the beautiful riding
of South Surrey White Rock by signing up for my monthly newsletter the Findlay Forum.
https://klfindlay.com/contact/
Have a great day!
Hon. Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay
Member of Parliament
South Surrey White Rock
P.S. If you are interested in following Kerry-Lynne’s work, please visit our Website: http://klfindlay.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/
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https://www.instagram.com/
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 1:07 PM
Subject: Automatic Reply
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for writing to the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Due to the volume of correspondence addressed to the Minister, please note that there may be a delay in processing your email. Rest assured that your message will be carefully reviewed.
We do not respond to correspondence that contains offensive language.
-------------------
Merci d'avoir écrit à l'honorable Arif Virani, ministre de la Justice et procureur
général du Canada.
En raison du volume de correspondance adressée au ministre, veuillez
prendre note qu'il pourrait y avoir un retard dans le traitement de
votre courriel. Nous tenons à vous assurer que votre message sera lu
avec soin.
Nous ne répondons pas à la correspondance contenant un langage offensant.
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 1:27 PM
Subject: Fwd: , I wonder if Ken McDonald ever read my emails
To: <bill.wilkerson@mentalhealthinternational.ca>
THE ECONOMIC VALUES OF MARK CARNEY
Bill Wilkerson Draws on Carney Book To Make
The Case for Mental Health and Sustainability
Fri 20 Sep 2024
Mark
Carney has been recruited by the Prime Minister to provide wise counsel
on economic policy but some of us have already dipped into his
knowledge and experience without waiting for the Liberal Caucus to
absorb and act on what he has to say.
In July,
Mental Health International published a paper making “the Case for
Mental Health and Sustainability” and we drew on Mr. Carney’s book –
‘VALUES”- released earlier this year in which he calls for steps to
“restore morality to the investment markets.”
Mr. Carney:
“scandals have called the social license of finance into question” and
multiple factors have contributed to the onset of “ethical drift.”
Canada
must have a “lasting solution that combines public regulation with
private standards to restore (to the capital markets) the accountability
of individuals for their own actions, and for the system”
“This,
in turn, “ Mr. Carney, the author, writes, “requires a strong, positive
vision of the future” and “authentic, passionate, supportive and
trustworthy values” to govern investments in Canada’s future.
In
his well-received book, Mr. Carney calls for “the aspirations of society
to focus not just on the rate of growth but on its direction and
quality.” He calls for sustainable investing that “brings the values of
the market into line with those of society.”
Mr. Carney also
encourages government to recognize that people want public policy to
deliver “dignity and a sense of purpose into their lives,” adding:
“Measures focused only on pleasure and pain are inadequate.”
Mr.
Carney makes the case for investment strategies that stimulate equality.
“There is growing evidence that equality is good for growth,” he says.
“More equal societies are more resilient and more likely to invest for
the many not for the few.”
Mr. Carney also hammers home a
fundamental proposition on corporate ownership and governance. He
rejects the Milton Friedman Doctrine that shareholders own the
corporation as based on a false premise and declares the fundamental
purpose of modern corporate governance is to translate purpose into
practice.”
Adding this: “Once it is recognized that maximizing
short term shareholder returns is no longer the sole aim of the
corporation, management and directors must reformulate how they measure
success.” (Bill is Executive Chairman Emeritus of Mental Health
International.)
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 1:07 PM
Subject: , I wonder if Ken McDonald ever read my emails
To: <Ken.McDonald@parl.gc.ca>, pierre.poilievre <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, Jason Lavigne <jason@yellowhead.vote>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, <Yvonne.Jones@parl.gc.ca>, blaine.higgs <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, Jacques.Poitras <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, Robert. Jones <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>, <patty.borthwick@nbliberal.ca>
Cc: rob.moore <rob.moore@parl.gc.ca>, ragingdissident <ragingdissident@protonmail.
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Sat, Jan 27, 2024 at 11:25 AM
Subject: Attn Patty Borthwick Please notice that this was the only comment of mine that CBC deleted in this news article and it was about you versus Andrea AndersonMason
To: <patty.borthwick@nbliberal.ca>
Cc: Anderson-Mason, Andrea Hon. (JAG/JPG) <Andrea.AndersonMason@gnb.ca>, blaine.higgs <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, Jacques.Poitras <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, Robert. Jones <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>
https://davidraymondamos3.
Friday 26 January 2024
Higgs talks health, affordability in pre-election state of the province speech
https://www.cbc.ca/news/
Higgs talks health, affordability in pre-election state of the province speech
Premier announces new measures, makes only passing references to
Policy 713 controversy
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Jan 26, 2024 7:06 AM AST
308 Comments
Ronald Miller
Higgs has been our premier for going on 6 years, he has been an MLA
for a decade plus including Finance Minister, he was worked in big
business. But I think going forward he should listen to his critics on
these boards, after all, they have a vast experience on large issues
such as healthcare, education, housing, etc. because they post on
here. I mean, it only makes sense.
Alison Jackson
Reply to Ronald Miller
oh Ron...
Le Wier
Reply to Ronald Miller
Higgs really should. The posts provide valuable feedback in real time
on what issues matter most to voters, and where the government is
doing well according to voters and where they need to improve.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Alison Jackson.
Hey, here is one now, that did not take long. Tell us all how to fix
all our problems, even if they countrywide. The country/province
awaits.
Gabriel Boucher
Reply to Ronald Miller
Getting rid of Higgs would be a start. He did say that he wouldn't put
a cap on rent because it's bad for business, and now he's blaming
homelessness on drug addiction. He's the one creating these issues in
the first place.
Bobby Richards
Reply to Ronald Miller
Higgs was a middle level manager. Irving is a "fire if if don't
comply" mentality. The refinery had to give $1500 to everyone to work
their shut down this fall. And now they are for sale.
Bobby Richards
Reply to Ronald Miller
If the problems are country wide then we should ignore them here in
NB. That makes sense Ron
Bobby Richards
Reply to Ronald Miller
Anderson Mason won't run for Higgs in 2024 in Fundy Isles Saint John.
She won the last 2 elections by a landslide but isn't running this
year. It will go liberal again like it was for 40 years.
MR Cain
Reply to Le Wier
The vast majority of social media posts are negative, so the value
would be a distortion of reality.
Le Wier
Reply to MR Cain
Social media is where people meet now to talk and share. the coffee
shop so to speak. Why else would politicians be on social media?
Bobby Richards
Reply to MR Cain
And that's why good people will not run for govt
MR Cain
Reply to Le Wier
Is this not a comment section where people are posting? Hopefully the
politicians are not making decisions based upon social media posts.
Le Wier
Reply to MR Cain
One would hope, but it seems like one of the few places nowadays to
meet, communicate, and discuss. I am thinking more about Facebook,
Twitter etc. Political parties and politicians have these social media
accounts to meet their voters without having to actually meet
physically with their voters. It’s an easy way to reach a vast number
of voters at one time and get feedback. It has proven especially
effective with young voters. Long gone are the days of stopping to
chat with your MLA downtown or their office. Most have an assistant
that answers the phone for them a few hours a week, and it is the
assistant that the voter/constituent communicates with. It is the MLAs
assistant that decides if the constituent/voter concerns or issues are
worthwhile to pass on to the MLA. It is a rarity if the MLA will speak
to a constituent now.
Ronald Miller
Reply to Gabriel Boucher
We did have a cap, and we have rent controls in place. Drug addiction
is part of the reason for homelessness, of course our PM is a big part
of it also.
Content Deactivated
David Amos
Reply to Bobby Richards
I like the liberal lady running there
On 1/25/24, David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Dave Gouthro <dave.gouthro@nbliberal.ca>
> Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 11:26:21 -0400
> Subject: Re: RE Liberal MP Ken McDonald wants leadership review, says
> there’s ‘hatred’ for Trudeau in Atlantic Canada
> To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
>
> David thank you for sharing I was not aware of this in the news feed - a
> very interesting watch.
>
> I do wish the federal Liberals luck in their next election but to be clear
> I am running as a Liberal in the New Brunswick provincial election. I would
> define myself as someone who is centre-right - I am not a Trudeau Liberal I
> am an Albert County New Brunswick Liberal.
>
> If you see this story build in the news media feel free to continue to
> share with me it seems like a situation that may evolve!
>
> Have a great day!
>
> Dave
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 25, 2024 at 11:00 AM David Amos
> <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
> wrote:
>
>> https://www.facebook.com/
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
>> Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 10:14:55 -0400
>> Subject: RE Liberal MP Ken McDonald wants leadership review, says
>> there’s ‘hatred’ for Trudeau in Atlantic Canada
>> To: Ken.McDonald@parl.gc.ca
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?
>>
>> Liberal MP says Trudeau should face leadership review | Power & Politics
>> CBC News
>> 3.44M subscribers
>> 17,728 views Jan 24, 2024
>> Liberal MP Ken McDonald says he thinks it's time for his party to
>> consider a leadership review of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The
>> Newfoundland MP stopped short of saying Trudeau should step down but
>> did say he would like to see some sort of review organized within the
>> party. The Power Panel weighs in on McDonald's comments.
>>
>>
>> 380 Comments
>>
>> @davidamos7114
>> Hmmmm
>>
>>
>> https://www.cbc.ca/player/
>>
>> Liberal MP Ken McDonald wants leadership review, says there’s ‘hatred’
>> for Trudeau in Atlantic Canada
>>
>> 16 hours agoNewsDuration 3:34
>>
>> While he stopped short of saying the prime minister should step down,
>> Liberal MP Ken McDonald — who represents the Avalon riding — tells
>> Radio-Canada’s Laurence Martin a change is needed and he anticipates
>> the Conservatives making major inroads in the Atlantic provinces.
>> McDonald has been on the outs with his Liberal party before, voting
>> with the Conservatives on a motion to abolish carbon pricing.
>>
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: "McDonald, Ken - M.P." <Ken.McDonald@parl.gc.ca>
>> Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2023 03:41:26 +0000
>> Subject: Automatic reply: In 2004 I wished Broadbent good luck as I
>> ran against him and his cohorts. However it did not take long for me
>> to discover my respect for him was misplaced.
>> To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you for reaching out to my office, your correspondence is very
>> important to me.
>>
>>
>>
>> Your email has now been placed in queue for review and either myself,
>> or one of my staff, will make every effort to respond to your inquiry
>> as soon as possible.
>>
>>
>>
>> Please keep in mind many inquiries we receive require a significant
>> level of attention and/or research, and as such, I kindly ask for your
>> patience while we process your request and/or gather information for
>> you.
>>
>>
>>
>> If your inquiry is of an urgent or time-sensitive matter, I encourage
>> you to call my Constituency Office at 709-834-3424 or Toll Free at
>> 1-866-883-3424.
>>
>>
>>
>> Once again, thank you for contacting my office.
>>
>>
>>
>> Please keep in touch.
>>
>>
>>
>> Ken McDonald
>> Member of Parliament for Avalon
>>
>> Ken.McDonald@parl.gc.ca<
>>
>> 120 Conception Bay Highway, Suite 105
>> Conception Bay South, NL A1W 3A6
>> t: 709-834-3424 | f: 709-834-3628
>>
>> Toll Free: 1-866-883-3424
>>
>
August 26, 2021
A Milestone. Mental Health as a Canadian Election Issue
Canada’s
national newspaper, the Globe and Mail, today declared ‘mental health’ a
surprise election issue in Canada’s current federal campaign.
A first.
And
to everyone who has worked hard in whatever capacity to “normalize” our
ability to discuss, learn about and understand that mental health
problems are part of the human experience, I say bravo to all of you.
The
three major national parties all claim mental health as a priority.
This means it should stay high on the leader board no matter the result
of the vote.
That said, we need, all of us, to be very careful
not to interpret a federal political embrace of mental health in a
political contest to mean the leader of the next Government will have a
clear idea about what spending more money on mental health actually
means.
The point is this: more money will not solve with what’s fundamentally wrong with mental health care in Canada.
We
will need a new, more informed, more compassionate approach as to
reining-in the effects of what mental health conditions across Canadian
life.
We will need a clearer picture of how so-called ‘general
hospitals’ are accredited to provide psychiatric services through a
dedicated unit and how emergency services are accredited to deliver
informed mental health care under those circumstances.
I will comment on this in the next few days.
Thanks, Bill
July 2, 2021
Mental
Health International’s Bill Wilkerson, appeals to New Brunswick Premier
Blaine Higgs to Order Independent investigation of Saint John Regional
Hospital.
Posted
below is a letter by Bill Wilkerson to Premier Higgs of New Brunswick
asking for a provincial investigation into the suicide death of a
patient in the psychiatric care of Saint John Regional Hospital last
December.
Also,
posted is a news release put out today. Wilkerson underscores that the
Saint John Hospital, operated by Horizon Health Network, also mentioned,
has itself found deficiencies in the operation of its psychiatric unit.
New Brunswick has a suicide rate higher than the national average, it
was the highest among the ten provinces as recently as 2016, and in
light of this, “hospitals in that province should be on alert not asleep
at the switch.”
Bill
is encouraging general hospitals that provide “side bar” psychiatric
care in Canada to audit the the status of their practices to protect
in-patients from harming themselves, especially those on suicide watch
as in the New Brunswick case.
July 2, 2021
To: Honourable Blaine Higgs, Premier of New Brunswick
From: Bill Wilkerson, LL. D. (Hon)
Re: Horizon Health Network’, Patricia Borthwick and her daughter’s death in the care of Saint John Regional Hospital
Premier,
on April 28, you kindly wrote me to advise that that you are “listening
and taking action” with respect to our concerns as to how Horizon
Health failed to respond in a courteous, compassionate and timely manner
to the questions for information posed by Patricia Borthwick, a
resident of Utopia, N.B., pursuant to the death by suicide of her
daughter while in the care of Saint John Regional Hospital. Your letter
was in reply to mine of April 6, 2021.
As
you may recall, I am a national and international mental health
advocate and proponent of suicide prevention, I am advising Patty on a
pro bono, personal basis as I do from time to time in support of
families contending with mental health crisis and, frequently, the
liability-aware nature of how health care institutions communicate with
families of patients.
In the matter of Patty’s daughter, the
first response she got from the regional hospital person is that they
couldn’t answer her questions because of privacy rules. The privacy of
her deceased daughter. This absurdity triggered my serious concern about
the competence and integrity of this hospital relative to psychiatric
care.
True to form, through its Vice-President, Quality and
Patient-Centered Care – an ironic ‘corporate title’ for the executive
corresponding with Patty in this matter – Horizon sent a June 22nd
letter to Patty, the salutation referencing ‘”Ms. Patricia Borthwick,’ a
clear signal of a form letter, in which they give this grieving mother
a powerfully-arrogant and detailed explanation of the legal reasons
they cannot respond to her mother’s questions about her daughter’s
violent death.
For one thing, they differentiate between the
mother of the deceased young woman and who purportedly qualifies as a
“personal representative” of Hillary’s estate with or without a will.
Superbly ironic, since the hospital accepted Patty as sufficiently
“personal” and sufficiently “representative” to be the source of
next-of-kin permission to remove her daughter from life support.
But
the organization sees her as too distant to qualify for information
that would be otherwise and legally available to some “personal
representative.” This legalistic, bureaucratic, fearful (liability
concerns, no doubt) and cruel letter merely sustains the tone and
demeanour of how the hospital and Horizon have treated this woman and
her grieving family.
On March 30, 2021, the Minister of Health
said in a letter to Patty that “in light of these tragic events, I have
directed the Department of Health staff and the regional health
authorities to address crisis care in emergency departments and in
communities. Furthermore, I have asked for recommendations within 30
days.”
The Minister also said “I have asked the Executive
Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Branch at the Department of
Health, Annie Pellerin, to ensure that someone from the Department
reaches out to you directly.” I can tell you, despite the Minister’s
promise, Patricia Borthwick heard from no-one.
Therefore, six
months after Hillary’s death and several more months of trying to get
information about her daughter’s death plus two months after the
Minister of Health’s letter to Patty, she received a MAY 21ST letter
from Horizon’s Vice-President of Community, Jean Daigle in which she is
advised that:
“The following two recommendations were approved by
our quality-of-care committee and action plans are being developed for
their implementation.” That is, the hospital will:
- “Investigate procuring ligature resistant door frames, designs or door design for inpatient psychiatry units.”
- ”Investigate the establishment of a Crisis Stabilization Unit for increased structure and observation for patients in crisis requiring short-term intervention.”
Horizon Admission and Revelation Justifies Provincial Supervision
This
is a revelation: the hospital knows that certain deficiencies likely
contributed to Hillary’s death and, to the outside observer, these
deficiencies seem so fundamental, so basic to the safety of psychiatric
services as to warrant a provincial investigation into Horizon’s
capacity to provide such services. I encourage you, Premier, to
consider putting Saint John Regional under supervision,
Further,
neither the hospital management nor Horizon should be left to their own
devices in carrying out the “investigations” of which Daigle speaks. I
would encourage you to oversee these inquiries and to audit the Horizon
Health Network ‘s competence and informativeness in managing psychiatric
crisis.
Suicide Risk for the Family
It
seems entirely plausible that Horizon and the Saint John Regional
Hospital management – given the distant and evasive manner in which they
have treated Patty Borthwick – is unaware that high on the list of
suicide risk factors is losing to suicide a family member or a person
close to you. The frustration generated by their behaviour compounds
such a risk
Suicide Risk for the Province
As
of 2012, as you also know, New Brunswick had the highest ‘per
population’ rate of suicides among Canada’s ten provinces and was the
6th worst jurisdiction in the world after Japan, Belgium, Finland,
France and Austria. New Brunswick also experiences high rates of
domestic violence.
Suicide Prevention: A Priority in New Brunswick?
Under
these circumstances, one would presume that suicide prevention and
suicidal crisis management would be at the top of the list in all mental
health clinics and services in New Brunswick but especially acute care
general hospitals which provide side-bar psychiatric care.
At
the very least, I would question whether you can rely on the Saint John
Regional Hospital and other Horizon facilities to master these
requirements based on this experience and perhaps other incidents of
which I have become aware.
The number of suicides in N.B. have
topped the national average consistently, nearly 16 deaths per 100,000
persons at its worst, based on data I have seen, thus establishing your
otherwise lovely province as a world-scale suicide capital.
And
now, years after the province emerged as a leading jurisdiction in
suicide incidence, we have a major urban hospital and health management
company “investigating” whether the basics of door design and
observational capacity are suitable for their psychiatric wing.
This
certainly supports the Minister of Health’s directive for a review of
emergency psychiatric services. I understand the Minister announced a
strategy but, again, no one – zero – reached out to Patty despite the
Minister’s promise they would do so.
Therefore, sir, I strongly
recommend – and will be making a public statement along these lines --
that you convene an investigation into the policies, practices, training
and competencies of the Saint John Regional Hospital in their handling
of this particular suicide and the tragic circumstances surrounding it.
I
submit, sir, that New Brunswick could lead Canada toward an effective,
solid model of suicide prevention. This is not beyond reach.
A
personal note if I may: it would be very nice – thoughtful and welcomed –
if you were to call Patricia Borthwick at 506-755-0881. The family
would welcome hearing that you are taking steps so that Hillary will not
have died in vain, that her death will bring about changes that will
save the lives of others.
Meanwhile, Patty has just received the
coroner’s report officially advising that her daughter’s death was
asphyxiation at her own hand. This is, on one level, a step toward
closure. On another, it is the cold re-confirmation that her daughter is
never coming home.
Best Regards,
Bill Wilkerson, LL. D. (Hon)
Executive Chairman, Mental Health International
001-905-885-1751
bill.wilkerson@mentalhealthiinternational.ca
Full Text and accompanying News Release
Introducing The Library of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health
Special Link To The European Business Leadership Forum To Target The Impact of Depression in the Workplace
’THE TARGET CAMPAIGN'
Bill Wilkerson, Chairman
The non-profit company we call Mental Health International (MHI) was founded in 2013 by my colleague, Joseph Ricciuti and myself. This website contains strategies and analyses we have produced as we work across borders in North America and Europe.
This site is a resource for anyone with an interest in issues relating to business, the economy and brain health and specifically those brain-based, body-wide conditions labelled as mental disorders. This site, therefore, is not designed for interaction. It is a free resource.
Further, this site contains current/contemporary information but also the Official Library of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health founded in 1998 and closed in 2011. Mental Health International is the Roundtable’s successor and the Library provides volumes of information, while dated, is still relevant to the cause.
It should be understood that MHI - like the Roundtable - is not a large organization with lots of staff. It is the mirror opposite of that. So I will continue to respond as best I can to inquiries and requests, but be assured, my effort in this regard will be imperfect.
As to the design of this site, we have abandoned completely all the standard headings and segment titles that web sites use today so visitors will understand this is a resource and not an interactive site.
Meanwhile, I can be reached at bill.wilkerson@mentalhealthinternational.ca - 905-885-1751. That said, given my European work and other matters, my availability is simply more limited than before.
Bill Wilkerson
Executive Chairman,Mental Health International
Why Bill Wilkerson battles to cure mental illness
Mental illness is the fastest-growing cause of disability, lost time and productivity in the workplace
Bill Wilkerson put depression on Canada’s corporate radar more than a decade ago, when talking about mental illness was taboo – even though it was the fastest-growing cause of disability, lost time and productivity in the workplace.
Now, the self-appointed mental health advocate has been tapped to do the same in Europe, but this time he intends to mobilize business and science in a new international partnership to find a cure for what he calls the “disease of our times.”
“I wish I was doing this at 41 and not 72,” said Wilkerson. “We are going to bring so many changes and I will die before the work is done. But we are at a critical stage where we can bring science and workplaces in Europe and North America together, and ultimately internationally, and stop disablement and pre-mature death.”
One in five of us will suffer from depression in any given year. It’s the trigger for 90 per cent of the 4,000 suicides in Canada this year and is reducing life expectancy up to 25 years – more than smoking.
This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week, organized by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health. The broad coalition of care providers, and organizations representing those with mental illnesses, has various events planned, including lobbying MPs to improve access to care, services and other support for mental illness.
Wilkerson himself is devoted to the cause, works for no one and leaves the fund-raising to the others. He targets CEOs, not middle managers, and wants their time, attention and influence, not their money. He put in his own time to start the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health and for most of the decade it operated, never drew a salary. Great West Life insurance company chipped in by giving the Roundtable an office, and later created the Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace.
Michael Wilson, a former diplomat and politician and now chairman of Barclays Capital, has been Wilkerson’s closest ally since the two founded the Roundtable. He affectionately calls him “incorrigible.” He says Wilkerson is aggressive, comfortable in front of audiences, relaxed with the media, and thinks well on his feet.
“People like him, enjoy being him and he is very effective … He does his homework. It’s not by the seats of the pants. He works very hard at it,” said Wilson.
Wilkerson has received many awards for his work – including the special recognition award that Canadian Psychiatric Association’s also gave to former senator Romeo Dallaire – and got to know celebrities who made mental illness their cause, such as Patrick Kennedy, son of former senator Ted Kennedy, and his family; as well as actor Glenn Close, who publicly speaks about the stigma of such illnesses.
So who is Wilkerson? Born in Niagara Falls, he was expelled from high school in Grade 12 and quickly landed on his feet as a court reporter for the Welland Evening Tribune. He says “blind luck has been a dandy friend ever since.”
By his early-20s, Wilkerson was drawn to politics and wrote speeches for the fiery Liberal cabinet minister Judy LaMarsh, when she was secretary of state in charge of Canada’s Centennial celebrations in 1967. He then became executive assistant for energy minister J.J. Greene.
At 29, he joined the communications team of the International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) and was there during the political chaos of ITT’s involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup that overthrew the democratically elected president Salvador Allende, setting the stage for the rise of Allende’s military chief, Augusto Pinochet. ITT, which owned the Chilean telephone company, was at the centre of the storm over the U.S. alleged involvement in the overthrow.
After seven years at ITT, Wilkerson followed with stints in communications at CBC – where he met his wife Olga who is now a fellow mental health advocate – and the Royal Bank before he came back to the political arena. This time he was campaign manager and chief of staff to Toronto mayor Art Eggleton, who had some big development projects on his plate: the Convention Centre, Skydome, the CBC Broadcasting Centre.
One of Wilkerson’s hottest files was to find a new home for the Hockey Hall of Fame. That introduced him to NHL president John Ziegler, beginning a five-year association with Ziegler and the NHL board of governors as a principal adviser.
By 1992, Ziegler offered Wilkerson his dream job, a senior executive position in the NHL. But when Ziegler lost his own position, the promised executive job disappeared.
His consulting prowess in sport took Wilkerson to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League as an adviser. In 2004, he was recruited as the “crisis” CEO of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and, along with chairman Bob Rae, rescued the symphony from near collapse.
But it was his perch as the transitional chief executive of Liberty Health, having just taken over Ontario Blue Cross, that steered him into mental health.
He noticed patterns in drug use, doctors’ visits and time off work. Employees were absent more and using drugs to treat vague maladies, such as pain and sleeplessness, especially those working full-time. He suspected depression.
When he left Liberty, one of his clients, Homewood Health Centre, an addiction and mental-illness centre, asked him to examine the rising rates of depression.
Wilkerson began tracking the latest literature and studies, including Harvard’s Global Burden of Disease study, which identified the link between heart disease and depression and projected they would be the leading causes of work years lost through disability and premature death by 2020.
Wilkerson was among the first to “connect the dots” – that if disability hits the working population the hardest, then business faced a major issue of productive capacity and lost buying power. He co-wrote the book “Mindsets: The Ultimate Productivity Weapon,” which was praised in mental health circles as a milestone.
That prompted the first meeting of executives to talk about depression and work, chaired by former Ontario premier Bill Davis. The concept of the roundtable on addiction and mental health was born. That’s when Wilson said Wilkerson called him about getting involved. Wilson agreed.
Two weeks later, a press release crossed Wilson’s desk announcing he was the Roundtable’s chairman.
“When I asked him what the hell this was about, he said that is the way I do things sometimes, I do them and apologize later,” Wilson said.
Fifteen years later, Wilkerson was ready to retire when scientists and business leaders in Europe asked him to share with them his experience on targeting depression in the workplace.
He is also doing something in Europe that he didn’t do before: building a funded operation that will continue the campaign around the world, said Wilson.
“There is only one Bill Wilkerson, for better or for worse, and what he seems to be building in Europe is what we didn’t do here, and that is build an organization that will continue on after Bill Wilkerson of the time packs it in,” Wilson said.
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