Brison Report - Friday, May 29, 2009

Friday, May 29, 2009

Last weekend Scott campaigned with a number of Liberal candidates in the NS election including Mark Fury in Bridgewater, Paula Lunn in Windsor, and Maurice Rees in Elmsdale.

On Sunday, he attended a campaign rally with the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Michael Ignatieff, and NS Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil in Dartmouth.

This past week in Ottawa…

Monday, May 25

Scott returned to Ottawa in the morning where the House was sitting all week.

- Meeting with Liberal MPs to discuss the Canada–Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

- Spoke in the House on Bill C-23, the legislation to implement the Canada – Colombia FTA.

Scott said:

The issue of violence in Colombia merits special attention and using the resources available to us, we parliamentarians ought to consider and assess the expected impact of this FTA on the human rights situation in Colombia. Proponents say it could help, that in fact weaning the Colombian people off the narco-economy with real economic opportunities is essential to moving forward. 

Some of the opponents, including some of the human rights organizations, say that it will not help and that it could make the situation worse. We have a responsibility to drill down on the facts and not be guided by either the ideology that free trade at all costs is the word of the day or that every FTA is bad...

Read the entire speech HERE.

Tuesday, May 26

- Meeting of the Liberal Rural Caucus

- Meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade, where the committee concluded its study on the Canada–Peru FTA (Bill C-24)

- Meeting with representatives of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada

- Meeting with representatives of the Steelworkers Union

- Attend Parliamentary reception for the new president of Acadia University, Ray Ivany

- Meeting of the Liberal Nova Scotia Caucus

- Meeting with representatives of Atlantic Canada’s fishing industry to discuss the lobster crisis

Wednesday, May 27

- Breakfast seminar with the Hong Kong–Canada Business Association

- Meetings of the Atlantic Liberal Caucus and National Liberal Caucus

- Meeting with representatives of the Canadian Labour Congress and Canadian Union of Postal Workers

- Delivered a keynote address to the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa

 
Thursday, May 28

- Meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade
- Attended a series of meetings with a delegation from Colombia to discuss the Canada–Colombia FTA. The Colombian delegation included: His Excellency Jaime Giron Duarte, Colombian Ambassador to Canada; Mr. Jaime Bermúdez, Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Gabriel Duque, Deputy Minister of Trade; and Ms. Gloria Gaviria, Adviser on Human Right, Ministry of Social Protection and Social Health.
- Returned to Nova Scotia in the evening.

The week ahead...

On Saturday, Scott will visit the Wolfville Farmers' Market and walk in the Apple Blossom Parade with Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil. Scott returns to Ottawa on Monday morning, where the House of Commons will be sitting all week.

Scott recently attended the opening of the Secret Garden Art Show at the Utata Gallery in Windsor, NS where he is shown with Inge and Guenter Burr of Hants County.  Guenter's works were part of the show and his website is HERE.