Sanctions continue

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Party sanctions against Thunder Bay’s two NDP MPs are still in place, but both area Parliament members assure constituents that there’s still a lot of work for them to do.

John Rafferty (NDP, Thunder Bay-Rainy River) and Bruce Hyer (NDP, Thunder Bay-Superior North) were punished by the NDP’s interim leader Nycole Turmel in November after the local MPs voted with the government to end the long-gun registry.

The punishment means nether MP can speak or ask questions in the House. They can’t travel for business with the exception of moving between their riding and Ottawa. They were also stripped of their critic roles and kicked off committees.

Those sanctions were still in place when MPs returned to the House this week after a six-week hiatus.

Rafferty said it will stay that way until the long-gun bill passes third reading. When that happens is anyone’s guess, the MP said.

“I did hear a rumour that they are trying to get finished with the issue this month,” Rafferty said.
Hyer said third reading was originally supposed to come up this week, but was removed.

The timetable change leads Hyer to believe that the Conservatives won’t bring it up until after March so that they can use it to apply pressure to the NDP when it chooses its new leader.

Regardless, they both say the sanctions haven’t kept them from doing their jobs.

Rafferty said he continues to work toward improving rural broadband Internet. He’s also trying to get a one cent increase to the gas tax and change the formula so cities are funded not just by population, but also by geographical area.

The move would bring an extra $500 million to municipal infrastructure he said.

“There’s still lots and lots of work I can do not just in the riding but here in Ottawa,” Rafferty said.

Hyer added that from getting a fire truck for Whitesand First Nation to convincing the Conservatives to extend a federally-funded program for the defunct Terrace Bay Pulp, he’s had no shortage of work. 

“While some of my rights have been taken away, my workload has not,” he said.

They are also still part of the House duty roster, which makes sure there are enough NDP MPs attending various meetings on Parliament.
Although it was the party that sanctioned the two MPs last year, Hyer said he’s still not sure who had the final decision.

“I’m not sure whether the current interim leader drew this up on her own, or whether she is having her strings pulled by somebody in the party,” he said.

Based on the MPs he’s spoken with, Hyer said a majority of the NDP caucus supports Rafferty and him.