The MP for Courtenay-Alberni is pleased to have his NDP counterparts in our neck of the woods for the federal party’s caucus retreat.
Gord Johns says the group of NDP MPs have been touring the riding, meeting with Indigenous and community leaders and are ensuring they are on the same page when Parliament resumes in Ottawa next week.
“We know that right now, it’s a corporate setup in Parliament,” Johns says. “We see that the Liberals and Conservatives are almost undistinguishable at this point. We want to make sure that people have a voice and a seat at the table. That’s going to come from the NDP.”
The the first stop for the retreat was at a closed meeting in Port Alberni with the Tseshaht First Nation on Tuesday, September 9.
A public Town Hall is being held in Courtenay Wednesday night, September 10, at the Lower Native Sons Hall at 360 Cliff Avenue starting at 7 p.m.
The rest of the visit consists of closed meetings to allow the group to set its agenda with the fall Parliament session on the horizon.
Joining Johns on the retreat are interim party leader and Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies, Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan, Edmonton Strathcona MP Heather McPherson, Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan and Rosement-La Petite Patrie MP Alexandre Boulerice.
The party is also in the midst of a leadership race after Jagmeet Singh announced his resignation following the federal election in April which saw the NDP drop from 24 seats to seven.
A new federal NDP leader is expected to be named in March.
– Gord Johns, Courtenay-Alberni MP
