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Rachel Blaney

Member of Parliament
NDP

North Island—Powell River
British Columbia
Voting Attendance: 65%
Expenses Last Quarter: $145,542.18

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 285 - Feb/26/24

Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

Feb/26/24 4:55:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the NDP is very proud of the work we have done on the bill, but I do have some serious concerns. I know that in my riding, in Comox, search and rescue helicopters are flown by our forces members, but the maintenance and upkeep of those helicopters has been contracted out to IMP Aerospace, which is a private company. We are now seeing substantial staffing shortages due to low wages, and just to be clear with the member and with the Chair, they are between $10 and $20 less than the average standard for the industry. Workers are really having a hard time making sure that they keep everything safe, but they are working overtime to make sure our military people are safe. I am wondering how it is possible that they are told, with 46 workers, that they cannot strike because they are considered essential. Now they are down to just over 20 workers, with only 16 of them able to work right now. This is a contract that National Defence has agreed to. Why is the government not protecting its workers through this contract?

188 words

Context: House Hansard - 255 - Nov/24/23

Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

Nov/24/23 12:33:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for me, this is a really important bill, and one that the NDP really fought hard for. We have been fighting for anti-scab legislation for an extremely long time. I think about the times that I have stood on picket lines. If one is from a rural and remote community, sometimes it takes a while to get to that picket line, because people live in very isolated places. I remember having a conversation with one gentleman in particular who talked about the fact that, when they were on strike, the company took away their health benefits. He and his spouse had adopted a couple of kids and were planning to adopt a third, they were in the process, but they could not because of the strike. The bill before us would fundamentally give those folks, those workers, more power in the negotiating process. I wonder if the member could speak to why that is important.

158 words

Context: House Hansard - 183 - Apr/24/23

Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

Apr/24/23 2:30:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, workers deserve to be treated with respect. Canada's public service workers have been without a contract for two years. Now they are out in the rain fighting for their rights, and the minister is nowhere to be found. Because the government has failed to get a fair deal for the workers, Canadians across the country are feeling the impacts of the PSAC strike. It is time for the minister to show that she is going to walk the walk on labour rights, or will the minister continue to ignore these workers' rights?

95 words

Context: House Hansard - 181 - Apr/20/23

Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

Apr/20/23 2:44:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are worried about accessing services during the PSAC strike. The union is ready to work with the departments to ensure that veterans can maintain that access, but the minister refuses to talk to them. In fact, the minister has not met with the union president for over two years. This is disrespectful and puts our public servants and veterans at risk. What is he scared of? Will the minister do his job by talking to the union or will he continue to ignore his responsibilities to both veterans and the union?

95 words

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Member of Parliament

Rachel Blaney