Government Accountability

HANSARD: Was the Parliamentary Secretary authorized to announce Kneecap ineligible to enter Canada?

Global News: Is Kneecap banned from Canada or not? NDP urges answer in high-profile case

The federal immigration minister is facing increasing pressure to clarify whether the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap is indeed banned from entering Canada, or if the Liberal official who announced the move was approved to make that assertion in a contentious social media post.

In a letter to Immigration Minister Lena Diab on Thursday, NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s immigration critic, urged Diab to say whether the group is indeed banned after the minister and other officials have repeatedly refused to answer questions on the case for almost two weeks.

The band says it has yet to receive any official notice about an entry ban or denial of their electronic visa authorizations.

“Canadians and visitors to Canada deserve to know that they are not subject to arbitrary and politicized weaponization of public policy for political purposes,” Kwan wrote.

“We need to rebuild integrity into the system in this time of misinformation.”

Liberal MP Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary for combating crime, announced on Sept. 19 “on behalf of the Government of Canada” that the band’s members had been deemed ineligible for entry ahead of scheduled concerts this month, based “on the advice of our officials.”

Kwan wants Diab to answer if the officials Gasparro referenced are in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and if she or other IRCC officials authorized Gasparro to speak on their behalf publicly.

The letter also asks if Kneecap were ever formally banned from entering Canada or if they are permitted to enter, and if the Prime Minister’s Office or any other government officials or agencies were involved in approving Gasparro’s announcement.

Click to read and watch the news story - https://globalnews.ca/news/11461642/kneecap-entry-ban-ndp-jenny-kwan-vince-gasparro/

Open Letter to Immigration Minister on Vince Gasparro's authorization to band Irish band entry

Click to [ Read more ] to read Jenny's full letter

HANSARD: Questioning government's announcement to end door-to-door mail delivery

CPAC Headline Politics: NDP MP Jenny Kwan Discusses Arms Exports Bill

NDP MP Jenny Kwan speaks with reporters on Parliament Hill after tabling a private member’s bill. The legislation is aimed at closing loopholes in Canadian law related to arms exports.

Kwan is joined by arms control experts and representatives from civil society organizations, which includes Oxfam-Québec, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Independent Jewish Voices Canada and the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Click link to watch the press conference video - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mp-jenny-kwan-discusses-arms-exports-bill--september-19-2025?id=755fc44b-a0b7-4bb1-b972-855c673ec354

Hill Times Jenny Kwan Op Ed: NDP keep fighting as new Liberal government’s honeymoon period comes to a close

To meet the eye-popping military spending commitment of five per cent of Canada’s GDP, there will be deep cuts to programs and services to Canadians.

Canadians elected new Liberal Leader Mark Carney as their prime minister to fight against American President Donald Trump. “Elbows Up” was the central message during the campaign, but the strategy Carney has taken so far has been to appease Trump. Counter-tariff measures are off the table. In the name of border security, government overreach that infringes our privacy and violates due process is being justified. Trump-like border and immigration measures are creeping in. Massive cuts to public services and programs are on the offer.

As Carney lay the tracks of his fiscal agenda, here’s what we have learned so far. Austerity is the name of the game, and to meet the eye-popping military spending commitment of five per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product, there will be deep cuts to programs and services to Canadians. Already, Carney has directed his ministers to cut operating spending of 7.5 per cent, 10 per cent, and 15 per cent to almost every other department over the next three years.

Householder Fall 2025

The new Parliament met from May 26 to June 20, 2025. In that time the new Liberal minority government presented a Throne speech and introduced eight Bills.

The Throne Speech is supposed to lay out the government’s priorities in a new Session of Parliament. But it was notable not so much for what was in it as for what was missing.

During the election campaign, of course, people were talking about their concerns with respect to President Donald Trump, his tariff threats and anti-immigrant actions. While people said Canada should absolutely take action together in dealing with the United States, there were also so many other top priority issues that the government ignored in their throne speech.

There was no mention of renters. In the midst of a housing crisis - there was no discussion of building the social housing or co-op housing that is so desperately needed. What’s even more concerning is the fact that, when asked if housing process need to go down, the Minister of Housing - Gregor Robinson said “No.”(link: https://www.jennykwanndp.ca/ctv_new_housing_minister_says_he_ll_leverage_his_past_as_vancouver_mayor_in_new_role?recruiter_id=111).

There was no mention of funding for public transit, nor any mention of desperately needed support for mental health or action to help people secure a family doctor. There was no mention of action to mitigate and fight wildfires or provide relief for affected people. No mention of foreign interference. No mention of peace and resolving conflict. No mention of the devastating crisis in Gaza. Seniors and their concerns were not mentioned in the throne speech.

Women were not mentioned in the throne speech. Issues surrounding gender equality and equality for people with disabilities were not mentioned in the throne speech.

You can see my response to the throne speech at this link: https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/45-1/house/sitting-6/hansard#Int-13081121

Despite not having party status, I was able to successfully move a sub-amendment to the Throne speech by ensuring that the rights of Indigenous Peoples are respected. New Democrats will keep pressing the government – and all opposition parties – to live up to this promise.

Daily Hive: Canadian woman left in limbo after CRA accidentally declares her dead

When June “Juna” Miller filed her taxes in spring, she expected a refund, but instead, she was declared legally dead.

A few weeks later, she attempted to log in to her CRA account. It didn’t work, and she called the agency.

“The woman on the phone said, ‘Well, you’re deceased.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about? You’re speaking to me!'” Miller explained.

What followed was a month-long ordeal that cost her her pension, Social Insurance Number, and sense of stability.

“It took them five seconds to say I was dead… without even asking for a death certificate,” she said. “Now I’m being told it could take six months to prove I’m alive. That makes no sense to me.”

But with her account frozen and no payments coming in, she was suddenly without any source of income.

Her Social Insurance Number had been cancelled, making it impossible to access her bank account or even apply for temporary work to stay afloat.

Even Service Canada wasn’t much help, Miller claimed.

She recalls one interaction with an agent who questioned why she kept insisting she was alive, while another refused to proceed because her name didn’t match across various documents.

When Miller attempted to order a copy of her marriage certificate to fulfill the requirement, her request was denied because her ID had already been flagged as invalid.

Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan stepped in as well, formally raising Miller’s case with the federal government.

Miller provided Daily Hive a copy of the letter dated June 30, in which Kwan wrote directly to Minister François-Philippe Champagne, asking that CRA fix the mistake immediately, restore her pension, and ensure all missed payments were sent without delay.

Resurrection, at last

On June 30, Miller received the call she’d been waiting for.

“CRA just called and I have been resurrected,” she told Daily Hive. “They’re sending an apology letter in the mail.”

 

NDP Media Release: NDP reaction to Carney's new NATO defence spending pledge

NDP Media Release 25.6.2025

NDP reaction to Carney's new NATO defence spending pledge 

In reaction to Mark Carney's new NATO defence spending pledge to hit 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, NDP critic for Defence Heather McPherson issued the following statement:   

“Increasing defence spending to 5 per cent was never part of Mark Carney’s election campaign – which ended less than two months ago. This was not part of the mandate he received from Canadians.

Carney's new pledge would cost Canadians more than $100 billion per year. That’s twice the amount the federal government transfers to the provinces and territories for healthcare. At a time when Canadians urgently need investments in healthcare, affordable housing, and climate change mitigation, they should be worried about what services they may lose to make up this extraordinary and unexpected cost.
 
Right now, workers are losing their jobs because of Trump’s reckless trade war, and this Liberal government is telling them it can’t provide proper support. That's not what Carney promised on the campaign trail.

New Democrats recognize that Canadian Armed Forces personnel and infrastructure were underfunded by successive Liberal and Conservative governments, and there is a need to increase investment in these services. And the growing threats to Canadian sovereignty and security are real. But these threats are not only military, and defence spending is not the only solution – that’s why the Liberals should be reversing their cuts to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and international development.

While this Liberal government emphasizes Arctic security and sovereignty, there is an excessive focus on security. Northerners continue to face barriers to fully participating in Arctic sovereignty, which in turn limits their engagement in Arctic security. That’s why greater investment in Arctic sovereignty is essential—including funding for housing, schools, airports, and marine ports. These investments will empower Northerners to contribute meaningfully to the region’s security and future.

Canadians deserve a government that puts their needs first. When the Liberal government says it has billions for weapons but not enough for affordable housing or healthcare, it means more people will fall through the cracks.
 
New Democrats will fight every day so that you and your family aren’t left behind.”

The Tyee: ‘Ass Backwards’: Canada’s New Legal Posture Post-Bill C-5

The government gave Indigenous rights holders just seven days to review and respond to Bill C-5, said MP for Vancouver East Jenny Kwan in an interview with The Tyee. “That is absolutely disgusting,” she said. “It is not in any stretch of the imagination meaningful consultation.”