SURREY - Both Surrey's Tory government MPs missed more votes each in the House of Commons in this parliamentary session than both local NDP opposition MPs combined.

During the first session of Canada's 41st Parliament, Fleetwood-Port Kells Conservative MP Nina Grewal was absent from 58 votes. All of her votes were cast along party lines.

Russ Hiebert, Conservative MP for South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale, was absent from 21 votes, broke from the party line on two votes, and introduced two private members bills, C-317 and C-377.

Hiebert's bills call for amendments to the Income Tax Act to require labour organizations to provide financial information to the minister for public disclosure, with a fine of $1,000 per day for non-compliance.

Jinny Sims, NDP MP for Newton-North Delta, did not vote against the party line, was absent from 14 votes and introduced one private members bill, C-412.

Sims bill seeks to reduce poverty by amending the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act to ensure Canada meets the international target for donor countries to spend the equivalent of 0.7 per cent of its gross national product on official development assistance.

Jasbir Sandhu, NDP MP for Surrey North, did not miss any votes and consistently voted along party lines.

Only one other MP, Saskatchewan Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, shares Sandhu's record.

tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com