Today, NDP leader Jack Layton and NDP candidate for the riding of Guelph, Tom King, are demanding that the people of Guelph have a right to be represented in the House of Commons, where decisions are made about the future of the country. For months, there has been nobody standing up for the interests of Guelph’s workers and their families.
"It’s unacceptable that hardworking people in Guelph are being silenced on decisions that affect them in their daily lives,” said Layton. “Brenda Chamberlain needs to resign and the prime minister needs to call a by-election here so that Guelph can have a voice again."
"Chamberlain's voting record is indicative of the absence of the Liberal party in general," said King. "They have been abdicating their responsibility as the official opposition. The people of Guelph deserve better than that - they want someone to will stand up for their interests in Ottawa."
Since she was first elected, Chamberlain’s attendance record on votes in the House has plummeted from 71% to 13%. She has missed votes on issues that people care about and want to have a say on, such as Canada’s participation in the Kyoto protocol; the extension of the war in Afghanistan; and initiatives to give support to Ontario’s struggling forestry and manufacturing industries.
Chamberlain announced in 2006 that she would not be running again, but has yet to officially step down.