The Challenge to Parliamentarians

On Wednesday, May 8th, to raise awareness for Hunger Awareness Week on Parliament Hill, Food Banks Canada has asked all Parliamentarians and their staff to fast for the day so that they can experience what it's like to have food out of reach during an average day.

This act will go a long way in showing their concern about hunger in Canada, and inspiring Canadians and other Parliamentarians to get involved in addressing this solvable problem.

The following Parliamentarians, political staff and other participants are committed to fasting for the day and/or participating in Hunger Awareness Week this year. We hope that their actions will help raise the awareness of the serious issue of hunger in Canada and we thank them for their commitment.

We hope that all Parliamentarians will work together towards finding ways to fight hunger today, while creating solutions that will reduce the need for food banks tomorrow.

Participating Parliamentarians

(Leadership Offices)

Prime Minister`s Office – PMO (Conservative)
Nigel Wright – Chief of Staff

Office of the Leader of the Opposition – OLO (NDP)
Raoul Gebert – Chief of Staff

Office of the Liberal Whip (Liberal)
Vincent MacNeil – Chief of Staff

(In alphabetical order)

Malcolm Allen
M.P. Welland (NDP)
Robyn McKee – Political Staff
Katie Elliott – Political Staff

Jay Aspen
M.P. Nipissing – Timiskaming (Conservative)

Salma Ataullahjan
Senator – Ontario, Toronto (Conservative)
Natalie Woodcock – Political Staff

Paulina Ayala
M.P. Manicouagen (NDP)
Nicholas Thibodeau – Political Staff

André Bellavance
M.P. Richmond – Arthabaska (Bloc Québécois)

Leon Benoit
M.P. Vegreville – Wainwright (Conservative)

Candice Bergen
M.P. Portage – Lisgar (Conservative)
Victoria McLaren – Political Staff
Nick Moore- Political Staff

Dennis Bevington
M.P. Western Arctic (NDP)

Denis Blanchette
M.P. Louis-Hébert (NDP)

Lysanne Blanchette-Lamothe
M.P. Pierrefonds – Dollard (NDP)

Peter Braid
M.P. Kitchener – Waterloo (Conservative)
Liz Seymour – Political Staff
Corey Michaels – Political Staff

Brad Butt
M.P. Mississauga – Streetsville (Conservative)
Sarah Nolan – Political Staff

The Hon. Scott Brison
M.P. Kings – Hants (Liberal)
Tisha Ashton – Political Staff

Ruth Ellen Brosseau
M.P. Berthier – Maskinongé (NDP)
Zoé Poirier Stephens – Political Staff
Marie-France Savard – Political Staff

Lois Brown
M.P. Newmarket – Aurora (Conservative)

Ron Cannan
M.P. Kelowna – Lake Country (Conservative)

Sean Casey
M. P. Charlottetown (Liberal)
Sheldon Gillis – Political Staff

Chris Charlton
M.P. Hamilton Mountain (NDP)
Roberta Webster – Political Staff

Sylvain Chicoine
M.P. Châteauguay – Sant-Constant (NDP)

Joe Comartin
M.P. Windsor – Tecumseh (NDP)
Patrick De Sousa – Political Staff
Renée Taylor – Political Staff

Raymond Côté
M.P. Beauport – Limoilou (NDP)

Jean Crowder
M.P. Nanaimo – Cowichan (NDP)
Calinda Brown – Political Staff
Lindsay Mathyssen – Political Staff

Don Davies
M.P. Vancouver Kingsway (NDP)
David Horan-Lunney – Political Staff

Libby Davies
M.P. Vancouver East (NDP)

Linda Duncan
M.P. Edmonton – Strathcona (NDP)

The Hon. Wayne Easter
M.P. Malpeque (Liberal)
Chelsey Rogerson – Political Staff

Art Eggleton
Senator – Ontario (Liberal)
Paul Faucette – Political Staff

Mylene Freeman
M.P. Argenteuil – Papineau – Mirabel (NDP)
Maxime Beaudoin – Political Staff

Marc Garneau
M.P. Westmount – Ville-Marie (Liberal)
Jean Proulx – Political Staff

Jonathan Genest-Jourdain
M.P. Manicouagan (NDP)

Alain Giguère
M.P. Marc – Aurèle – Fortin (NDP)

Nancy Greene Raine
Senator - B.C. (Thomson - Okanagan - Kootenay) (Conservative)

The Hon. Laurie Hawn
M.P. Edmonton Centre (Conservative)

Jim Hillyer
M.P. Lethbridge (Conservative)

Pierre Jacob
M.P. Brome – Missisquoi (NDP)

Mobina Jaffer
Senator, British-Columbia (Liberal)

Randy Kamp
M.P. Pitt Meadows – Maple Ridge – Mission (Conservative)

Matthew Kellway
M.P. Beaches – East York (NDP)
Mary Susan Yankovich – Political Staff

Hélène Leblanc
M.P. Lasalle – Émard (NDP)

Ryan Leef
M.P. Yukon (Conservative)
Kay Richter – Political Staff

Pierre Lemieux
M.P. Glengarry – Prescott – Russell (Conservative)

Megan Leslie
M.P. Halifax (NDP)

Don Meredith
Senator - Ontario (Conservative)

Thomas J. McInnis
Senator – Nova-Scotia (Conservative)

Terry Mercer
Senator – Northend Halifax (Liberal)
David Sheppard – Political Staff
Sherry Petten – Political Staff

Élaine Michaud
M.P. Portneuf – Jaques-Cartier (NDP)

Percy Mockler
Senator – New Brunswick (Conservative)
Diane Thériault-Michaud – Political Staff
Réné Sirois – Political Staff

Wilfred P. Moore
Senator – Stanhope St. / South Shore (Liberal)
Archie Campbell – Political Staff
Lisa Fisher – Political Staff

Jim Munson
Senator – Ottawa / Rideau Canal (Liberal)
Lisa Thibedeau – Political Staff
Christian Dicks – Political Staff

Peggy Nash
M.P. Parkdale - High Park (NDP)

Lavar Payne
M.P. Medicine Hat (Conservative)

Joe Preston
M.P. Elgin – Middlesex – London (Conservative)

Anne Minh-Thu Quach
M.P. Beauharnois – Salaberry (NDP)
Camille Bouillon Bégin – Political Staff
Isabelle Bourassa – Political Staff

Mathieu Ravignat
M.P. Pontiac (NDP)

Bob Rae
M.P. Toronto Centre (Liberal)
Danya Vered – Political Staff

Fernand Robichaud
Senator- New-Brunswick (Liberal)

Jean Rousseau
M.P. Compton – Stanstead (NDP)
Marilyne Gagné – Political Staff
Julie Tomicic – Political Staff

Jasbir Sandhu
M.P. Surrey North (NDP)

The Hon. Judy Sgro
M.P. York West (Liberal)

Peter Stoffer
M.P. Sackville – Eastern Shore (NDP)

Mike Sullivan
M.P. York South – Weston (NDP)
Deb Byrnes – Political Staff
Paul Ferreira – Political Staff

Bernard Trottier
M.P. Etobicoke – Lakeshore (Conservative)

Frank Valeriote
M.P. Guelph (Liberal)
Daniel Arsenault – Political Staff
Jeffrey Valois – Political Staff

The Hon. Josee Verner
Senetor - Québec (Montarville) (Conservative)
Liz Schlesak – Political Staff
François Dubois – Political Staff