Rachel Blaney was officially sworn in as member of parliament for North Island-Powell River in Ottawa on November 18. The small ceremony was attended by Blaney’s husband and two sons as she took the oath of office and signed the test roll for a third term following her reelection in September.
“It is such an honour to be given this responsibility and trust again by the people of North Island-Powell River, especially during this time when our communities are facing so many critical challenges,” stated Blaney in a media release.
Blaney, along with party leader Jagmeet Singh and their 23 fellow NDP MPs, have identified pandemic recovery, climate change, and housing as top priorities for the 44th Canadian parliament which is set to begin on November 22.
“We’re seeing low-income seniors and parents getting cut off from their critical benefits now because they received support during the worst days of the pandemic,” stated Blaney. "This is happening while housing continues to get harder to find, people are being displaced and uprooted by extreme weather events, and communities continue to face COVID-19 outbreaks. Now, more than ever, Canadians need the government to get to work and to provide help for the people and small businesses in our communities.”
