House to House E-Newsletter
Dear reader,
As this lands in your inbox, I hope that you are enjoying your summer and this mid-summer long weekend. I am really enjoying being back out in the community where I can see people and hear your concerns again.
It appears that our Prime Minister is determined to call an early election despite having the NDP and Bloc to prop up his agenda. He has never lost a confidence vote in the House of Commons despite running around the country complaining about a ‘dysfunctional’ House.
The fact is that the Trudeau Liberals are tired of the Conservative opposition looking to have the House of Commons investigate their scandals. They regularly and willfully ignore the democratic and non-partisan Private Members Bills that have been passed in the House, refuse to produce documents as ordered by Parliamentary committees, and the list goes on. The government is even using the House of Commons and its Speaker (a Liberal MP) to avoid compliance with the wishes of the House.
On a positive note, my colleagues and I have worked together to help Canadians through the pandemic, to introduce positive changes through Private Members Bills and to promote economic policies that will help get our economy growing again.
Have a great long weekend, and enjoy the rest of your summer.
See you at the doors.
In your service,
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Jasraj Singh Hallan
Member of Parliament
Calgary Forest Lawn
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Erin O’Toole Tackles Equalization.
Alberta has paid about $600 Billion to the rest of Canada since 1967 over and above what we receive back in transfers, and in the last decade, about $20 Billion a year. I think most Albertans support the general concept of sharing with the rest of the country, and we understand that we don’t write a cheque to Ottawa every year – it is because of our relative wealth that we generate more personal and business tax and receive fewer social transfers (EI, pensions etc.). But in the last couple of years we have had some hard times, and yet the system doesn’t seem to work both ways.
The Liberals are not supportive of Alberta’s economy and in fact, seem quite hostile to our economic aspirations. We understand our economy has to change with changing times, but we don’t need our federal government throwing up roadblocks every step of the way while we work to restore our prosperity.
During his recent visit to Alberta, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole promised changes that would put Alberta back on equal footing. The proposed changes would result in a $4 billion rebate to the province of Alberta as well as ongoing greater fairness in how we share our good fortune.
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 From the Mailbox
Here is a list of issues that I have heard about from constituents over the last month:
Increasing level of debt, carbon tax, federal budget, economic recovery, Liberal corruption, vaccines, Israel/Palestine, residential schools, mental health, NACI recommendations, vaccine passports, small businesses, CEWS, CERS, CEBA, Canadian energy policy, Line 5, CRA wait times, travel restrictions, tourism industry, cell tower proposal, CRTC and telecom expenses, border restrictions, hotel quarantine rules/exemptions, environment, coal mining/Eastern Slopes, provincial lockdown measures, Erin O’Toole, possible 2021 election, Canada-China relations, climate change, universal basic income, universal pharmacare, taxation rates, Bill C-6 (conversion therapy), Bill C-233 (sex-selective abortion), Bill C-10 (internet, freedom of speech), vaping products, firearms policy, forests.
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Congratulations
I would like to congratulate Her Excellency The Right Honourable Mary J. May Simon, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., O.Q., C.D.on becoming our country’s first Indigenous Governor General. This was an important day for both our country as a whole and particularly for Indigenous peoples. The role of Governor General is important in unifying our country and bringing Canadians together. She is a remarkable person with an impressive list of personal and professional achievements. To learn more about Her Excellency, please visit her website.
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Stampede Breakfast fun!
Thank you to everyone who came out for breakfast, it was great to see everyone. The pancakes were as hot as the weather and we served about 2500 breakfasts. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole flipped a few flapjacks with me before heading out to talk to as many Calgarians as he could.
Thank you also to the volunteers who helped pull together a fantastic event. See you at next year’s Stampede.
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Uncertainty At The Border
The Liberal government announced that on August 9th, fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be able to enter Canada for non-essential travel without facing quarantine restrictions. During the announcement, the Liberal government also indicated that fully vaccinated international travelers may also be allowed to enter Canada beginning September 7th, so long as public health conditions remain stable. At this time, Canadians remain prohibited from travelling to the U.S. for non-essential travel. For over a month, Conservatives, business groups, and Canadians have been calling for the Liberals to put forward metrics for a safe border reopening. It remains unclear what those metrics are and why they could not be shared with the business community well in advance of this announcement. Reopening our economy shouldn’t be a political secret.
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Afghan Interpreters
The withdrawal of American military forces and NATO partners in Afghanistan has given rise to a sharp increase in Taliban activity in certain provinces. Afghan interpreters and support personnel who bravely assisted our Canadian Armed Forces are receiving death threats. The safety of their families is at risk.
The Liberal government claims to be aware, and sympathetic, to the situation – but are moving extraordinarily slowly. They don’t seem to realize that every day – every hour in fact – puts these people and their families in greater jeopardy. Do they not have a plan of action? Are they unable to act rapidly when the situation calls for it?
Other countries are taking immediate action to help Afghans who worked with their armed forces and ensure their safety, while Canada is dithering and delaying. There are even reports that Canadian military personnel are taking matters into their own hands, risking their own lives to help their interpreters and their families find safe refuge.
This is unacceptable. I wrote to the Minister a year ago about these issues and was ignored. Conservatives are pressing the government every day to take swift action, and at least set a date on which interpreters and their families can be extracted.
A website has been set up to support the interpreters: afghaninterpreters.ca
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WHICH BENEFITS ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR?
The Benefits Finder tool allows you to determine what benefits you may be entitled to by answering a few easy questions. After completing the quick multiple-choice questions, your possible benefits are short-listed and additional information is provided. Many federal-provincial programs are also incorporated into the search results. Link here.
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Canada Job Bank
If you need help getting back to work, try accessing the jobs being listed on the government website, visit www.jobbank.gc.ca to see the latest opportunities. Hundreds of jobs are listed that are in our community and they offer Canadians with a wide variety of work experiences. The Canada Summer Job Bank listings are also put up here.
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If you think your neighbours or friends would like to receive this newsletter, please
direct them to www.jasrajMP.ca where they can sign up to our mailing list.
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