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| As this is the last newsletter of the year, let me start by wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. However you celebrate, I hope you get time with your families and loved ones. The NDP-Liberals continue to punish Canadians for trying to live their lives. After PM Trudeau blew up his treasured carbon tax to combat plunging poll numbers in Atlantic Canada with an exception for heating oil, Conservatives proposed taking the carbon tax off ALL home heating fuels for ALL Canadians. We also proposed lifting the carbon tax from farm activities. Both of these exceptions would have lowered the cost of living and the high rate of inflation for Canadians. However, the NDP-Liberals chose to maintain their punishing carbon tax and keep the country divided by favouring Eastern Canada over the West. All this punishment of Canadians has led to all-time highs of food bank usage. I know that many of you are hurting but if you can manage it, please join me in supporting the Food Bank or a charity that will help a family in Calgary Forest Lawn put food on the table this Christmas season. In your service, |
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| Jasraj Singh Hallan Member of Parliament Calgary Forest Lawn |
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| Your Tax Dollars Funding Foreign Workers? The NDP-Liberals along with the Government of Ontario are providing $15 billion in tax breaks to Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions for construction of the NextStar electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Windsor, Ontario. PM Trudeau is clearly trying to buy back his popularity with your money. Sadly, that’s not the worst part of the story. Stellantis has admitted that anywhere from 900-1600 workers will be temporary foreign workers. We would like to know more but the Liberals and NDP are blocking the release of the contracts. The Trudeau Liberals are either misleading Canadians or they are incompetent and confused. Last Friday, Minister Champagne even admitted that he still needed to sit down with the company to talk about how many taxpayer-funded foreign replacement workers they intended to bring in. The Building Trades of Canada has estimated that the hiring of foreign workers will cost Canadian contractors and workers at least $300 million. It is not acceptable that Canadian taxpayers are spending $15 billion to create jobs that aren’t even going to Canadians. |
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| Bill C-234 proposes to exempt farm fuels from carbon taxation During the debate on a common sense Conservative bill that would remove the carbon tax for farmers, Trudeau-appointed Senators voted to shut down debate on the final vote, continuing to punish farmers struggling with Trudeau’s carbon tax. The panicking Liberals are now resorting to every trick in the book, trying desperately to prevent farmers from getting a carbon tax carveout for grain drying, barn heating and other farm operations. The government can lower the price of food by lifting the carbon tax on farm operations but they would rather continue to punish Canadians. |
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| Suicide Prevention Hotline Many Canadians find the holidays to be challenging, with more than half of Canadians saying that the holiday season can be a source of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. As of November 30th, a new three-digit number, 9-8-8, was implemented for mental health and suicide prevention services. You can now call or text 9-8-8 from anywhere in Canada for free and be directed to the appropriate mental health crisis or suicide prevention service in your area. This new three-digit number will provide accessible and timely support to individuals in crisis, offering hope and saving lives. This new service was the result of years of hard work by my Conservative colleague Todd Doherty. |
 From The MailboxHere is a list of issues I received correspondence on from the community during the past month. Here goes … Canada Pension Plan, grocery costs, Israel/Gaza situation, terrorist financing, housing costs, animal welfare, electricity grids, fuel regulations, disability supports, military support, democratic reform, 9-8-8, migrant workers, Lebanon (potential) evacuation, internet freedom, pharmacare, inflation, airline salaries, veterans benefits, Canada/India relations, clean water on reserves, medical assistance in dying, tax write-off rules, climate change, pipelines, cost of living, vaccine mandates, small business help, banking fees, sports facility funding, mask requirements, energy emissions, firearms buyback, universal basic income, retirement benefits, Canada Life issues, software espionage, World Health Organization, Phoenix pay system, natural health products, breast screening, childcare benefits, biodiversity, fish farming, heat pumps, hate and intolerance, food banks, war evacuations, open banking, visitor visa delays, study visa delays, trade agreements, immigration delays, community crime, carbon tax, gas prices, mental health counselling services, land development, organ donation and fur farming. Due to the volume of mail and the variety of issues, we appreciate your patience in awaiting a response. |
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| Stagflation? It’s not the 1970s but the risk of stagflation is back. This is a result of the extraordinarily high spending of the NDP-Liberals causing an inflationary environment all while limiting economic growth. “Paul Beaudry, deputy governor at the Bank of Canada from 2019 until July of this year, said Canada should be concerned about stagflation, which occurs when an economy faces slow growth, high unemployment and high prices.” (story here). I am particularly worried about the number of mortgage renewals coming up over the next few months. A lot of people are already on the edge and a big increase to their mortgage payments are going to be very harmful to them and then to our economy. It is a financial cliff that many Canadians are approaching rapidly. We need to get our spending under control to reduce the pressure on inflation and interest rates. We also need to re-open the Canadian economy for business and investment. |
| Save Our Supplements As a further update on this topic since I have received so many emails. My colleague, Conservative Member of Parliament for Red Deer-Lacombe, Blaine Calkins, introduced Bill C-368, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (natural health products). This will repeal sections 500 to 504 in the Liberal government’s Bill C-47 which deals with the regulation of natural health products in Canada and has been the cause of much turmoil among those who sell supplements and those who take them. Through their bill, the government has allowed Health Canada to regulate natural health supplements the same as therapeutic synthetic drugs. These new regulations seek to impose substantial new fees on the importation, manufacturing, and sale of natural health products, along with stringent new labelling laws. “The Liberals’ Bill C-47 is poised to dramatically disrupt the market and represents a direct attack on Canadian consumers and small businesses. In response, I am introducing Bill C-368, designed to dismantle this unnecessary and restrictive red tape, and to restore the rightful status of natural health products in Canada,” said MP Calkins. An alarming 70% of brands have indicated that they will need to withdraw products from the market, and 1 in 5 are considering exiting Canada. Existing regulations already ensure the safety of these natural health products. “In their usual out-of-touch manner, Liberals introduced changes that are not just bureaucratic red tape, they are chains that bind the hands of our entrepreneurs, stifling innovation and limiting consumer choice. Canadians depend on these products daily. They include protein powders, vitamins, probiotics, and many others,” said MP Calkins. “Common sense Conservatives will push back against this governmental overreach and protect the fundamental rights of Canadians to make their own health choices, free from undue interference from Ottawa.” concluded MP Calkins. |
| Grants & Funding My office fields many calls about whether how to access funding from the federal government. You can find grants and funding by using this handy online tool provided by the Government of Canada. Funding is available in many categories and is continually adjusted as the federal government’s policy priorities change. Click here. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Stay Connected I regularly provide timely updates and critical information via my social media accounts. I strongly encourage all residents to follow these accounts to receive the latest information. Just click one of the following links to subscribe. |