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In two terms as MP for Winnipeg Centre, Pat Martin has proved himself to be an eloquent and forceful spokesperson on a variety of issues and a strong-willed champion for the rights of his constituents. He is currently the NDP critic for Citizenship and Immigration, Aboriginal Affairs, Northern Development and Natural Resources, and Government Operations and Estimates. To review a complete list of Pat's Federal Politics Experience, please click here.
As Immigration Critic, Pat has most recently promoted the NDP’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Bill to allow a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor—once in a lifetime—a relative who would not otherwise be considered under the family class sponsorship rules. He has shone the spotlight on the enormous backlog of applications for the mandatory permanent resident’s card and the government’s failure to amend its deadline by which permanent residents must hold the new document. He continues to challenge the nation-wide minimum salary standards for Canadians sponsoring relatives to Canada on grounds that the cost of living is much less in some cities, such as Winnipeg, than in others. He is soliciting cross-party support in the House of Commons and the Senate for a campaign to reunite a group of Eritrean refugees, currently stranded in Malta, with community members in Winnipeg, as he earlier proposed that Canada settle refugees from Kosovo in Winnipeg. He continues to be a thorn in the side of government on the issue of the ‘head tax’ or landing fee charged to all refugees and immigrants to Canada regardless of financial hardship. On a case-by-case basis, he continues to fight for the rights of his constituents to be visited by friends and family members from their home countries, and for the unification of couples and families. He continually promotes the economic and cultural benefits of a pro-active immigration policy, prodding the Liberal government to live up to its own targets for newcomers. In the last Parliament, he proposed a number of changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, several of which were adopted. As Critic for Aboriginal Affairs, Pat led the charge against the badly flawed First Nations Governance Act. Thanks largely to this work, the government is rethinking its legislation. For his heroic effort, including a 26-hour filibuster in the House Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, he was honoured by the Assembly of First Nations with a spiritual name, ‘Soong-Wi-Wi-Itong’, meaning ‘Strong Eagle Speaking Spirit’. He is a former member of Manitoba’s Aboriginal Apprenticeship Training Initiative and the Assembly of First Nations’ National Steering Committee on Training. As Critic for Government Operations and Estimates, Pat has enthusiastically taken up the task of scrutinizing government spending. He has been prominent in revealing overspending and misuse of funds by individual politicians and officials. In his previous role as Labour Critic, Pat coordinated the NDP steelworkers’ lobby that led eventually to endorsement by the House of Commons of a motion calling for ‘corporate manslaughter’ legislation allowing criminal charges of corporate executives whose actions or negligence result in injury or death of workers. He led the campaign against government legislation attacking the right to strike during two major disputes (PSAC in 1999; CUPW in 1997) as well as government plans to loot the surplus in the public service employees pension plan. He has introduced private members bills to bring equity to rural mail contractors, national standards to apprenticeship and institutional training for particular trades, and protection for workers who ‘blow’ the whistle on unsafe or illegal practices in the workplace. He has called attention to changes to unemployment insurance which systematically discriminate against women and part-time workers, and rob his own inner-city riding alone of more than $20 million each year. His private members’ motion on producing jobs through the creation of energy efficiency programs passed with rare cross-party support in the House of Commons. Pat was key in shaping parts 1 and 2 of the new Canada Labour Code.
As MP for one of the poorest ridings in Canada, Pat is a passionate advocate for adequate funding for health care, housing and education, for an Energy Price Commission to prohibit gouging by oil companies, and for smart, efficient public programs overall. His campaign for a ban of trans fatty acids in Canada’s food supply has ignited interest across the country. Through his constituency office in Winnipeg’s core, he fights tirelessly on behalf of individual constituents who have been wrongly denied federal benefits to which they are entitled.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Pat graduated from Argyle High School and worked for many years in northern and western Canada in the mines, for the forest service and in construction. He returned to Manitoba in 1986 to work as a carpenter at the Limestone Dam, Investors’ Syndicate Building and other major construction projects. In 1989, he was elected Business Manager of the Carpenters’ Union in Manitoba. He also helped form the Ruby Street Housing Co-op to drive slum landlords from the community and promote clean, affordable housing. He served as a vice-president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour as well as an Executive Member of the Manitoba Building Trades Council. He developed and promoted ‘A Brighter Future—Job Creation through Energy Conservation’, an energy retrofit program designed to renovate public buildings and aimed at conserving energy, reducing operating costs and creating jobs, all at no cost to the taxpayer. He has served as a member of the Lieutenant-Governor’s Foundation for Youth and represented the labour movement on the Winnipeg 2000 Economic Development Committee.
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