If someone were unkind enough to put a gun to my head and tell me that, if I wished to remain as your earthly correspondent, I had better name a silver lining to the dark cloud that is the section 95 crisis, I think my best chance of surviving to pen another blog would be to cite the interest and support it has generated among many MPs.
Bill Siksay, the NDP incumbent in Burnaby Douglas, is a case in point. He has used his seat in the House of Commons to press Minister Fontana for a solution to the crisis; he has spoken to the minister and written several letters. So I am pleased but not surprised to hear him speak at length and in detail of what needs to be done now. He is fair-minded enough to give the Minister credit for taking the first step, but knowledgeable enough to know that more needs to be done.
“We need to get subsidy back to the co-ops, not just stop them bleeding further. We need the housing and if we work with the co-ops we can get it. What took them so long to even get started?”
As for the case for new co-ops, Bill thinks his riding is proof positive that we need them and that they will benefit other neighbourhoods as much as they have Burnaby Douglas. A few days later I see Bill again at the press conference announcing his party’s co-op housing program (see our website for more details on all the parties’ platforms). Hopefully, this would be just enough to ensure a stay of execution.