Russ Hiebert - Political Positions

Political Positions

On June 2012, Hiebert rose to present a petition calling upon Parliament to "speedily enact legislation that restricts abortion to the greatest extent possible."

Russ Hiebert was an opponent of the Liberal-proposed Carbon Tax of 2009, referring to it as "job-killing" and "irresponsible" during question period.

Hiebert spoke in opposition to Bill C-428, a proposal to reduce the residency requirement for entitlement to a monthly pension from ten years to three years.

In February 2011, Hiebert voted against former NDP MP Bill Siksay's private members' bill C-389, a bill to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.

In September 2011, Hiebert spoke in Parliament in support of Bill C-10, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, stating that it "would increase sentences for child sex offenders, end the use of house arrest for serious and violent crimes and increase penalties for drug dealers who specifically target our children." Bill C-10 includes a wide range of measures, including increasing the maximum penalty for the manufacture of marijuana from seven to 14 years.

In December 2011, Hiebert put forth a private members bill, C-377, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (labour organizations). As of April 2012, bill C-377 has passed Second Reading with a vote of 154 to 127 and has moved to the Finance Committee for study. This bill has been criticized by union supporters as placing onerous reporting requirements on labour organizations.

In June 2012, an archivist from Hiebert's riding published an open letter to Hiebert in the Peace Arch News that challenged the Conservative Party of Canada's decision to reduce funding for Library and Archives Canada. That decision will result in the elimination of the National Archival Development Program that funds archiving historical artifacts throughout Canada. Hiebert responded to that open letter by defending the decision to reduce funding, stating that "here are limited resources and space to store documents", and suggesting that digitization of documents rather than physical storage may be "acceptable".

Hiebert voted in favor of motion 312, Stephen Woodworth's private member bill which called for an all-party committee of MPs to discuss when human life and legal personhood begins. It was eventually struck down.