MP: Colin Mayes seeks citizen participation. Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes would like to get more input from citizens. Mayes held a meet and greet Friday afternoon at Marine Park, where he mentioned that he’s had trouble getting people to turn out to such events.
“I held a meet and greet in Vernon on Wednesday, and only 12 people showed up. You wonder, is it because you’re doing a great job, or because people don’t care?” he questioned. “Democracy only works well when there’s communication between people and the people who represent citizens in government.” He said he feels he’s made a good effort by holding meet and greets, speaking to various groups and attending events, but he would like to get more input.
“People need to spend a little more time trying to communicate with their MP. Don’t come mad about an issue, but bring strong solid counsel,” he said, referring to a woman who approached him recently. He said she was concerned about the government’s lack of action on homelessness, but when she received information on what the government has been doing, she told him, “You’re doing a lot.” Asked, then, about the Salvation Army’s proposed homeless shelter in Salmon Arm, and whether he supports it, Mayes said it’s city council’s decision. “I was phoned about the transfer of property – I said it’s up to the city.” Salvation Army representatives had noted in an earlier interview that it was former MP Darrel Stinson who had supported them in initiating the process, yet Colin Mayes’ assistant had spoken against the shelter location at the public hearing on the issue.
Mayes said he hadn’t known his assistant would be speaking. “The city has made a decision that that’s where they want it – I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen.” At the Salmon Arm meet and greet, he said people had brought up such issues as crime, drugs, the age of consent and property rights. As chair of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Mayes was asked by the Observer about his government’s stand on Thursday’s United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous people. The UN General Assembly adopted the non-binding declaration that protects the human, land and resource rights of the world’s 370 million indigenous people. Canada was one of only four countries which voted against the declaration, while 143 voted in favour and 11 abstained. The United States, New Zealand and Australia also voted against.
“At first I was quite shocked... but when I looked into the reasoning I realized it compromised some of the treaties already in place and wasn’t consistent with existing treaties and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Mayes said. “When I looked at the countries supporting it, I thought, ‘You’re telling us about human rights, yet you don’t really have a stellar track record as far as Canada does with human rights.” Asked about the fact that groups such as the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Leadership Council have issued public statements expressing their condemnation of Canada’s stance, Mayes replied: “Let’s face it, if you say you’re going against rights for indigenous people it will raise eyebrows, but you have to look at the resolutions and statements – it’s not just one statement.” He said the Conservative government has taken specific steps to improve the lives of First Nations, such as addressing water quality issues on reserves, investing in housing, and setting up a tribunal to deal fairly with specific claims.
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