On Parliament Hill

There is always a lot of noise coming out of Ottawa. Because conflict makes for a better story, the national media is often quick to seize upon even the smallest controversy and make discord and divisiveness seem like the norm in the nation’s capital. As such, I think, sometimes, people have an idea that federal politics is all fighting and posturing and has little bearing on their everyday lives. While partisanship, sadly, often does rule the day, it is not always the case. On the contrary, there is always work going on behind the scenes, often even across party lines, to help make life better for Canadians. While “MP’s work together” doesn’t make as good a headline, it does make for better public policy. As such, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with constituents some of what I’ve been working on as MP for Provencher.

While COVID-19 and the accompanying legislation (and scandals) have dominated the news in recent months, there have been a lot of other things going on in Parliament.

In recent weeks, I have had the privilege to second and show my support for a number of bills. These bills include:

• Bill C-206, a bill that would exempt farm fuels – including those used to dry grain – from the Liberal Carbon Tax. This bill passed its second reading with support from all opposition parties.
• Bill C-208, a bill that would make it easier for parents to sell their farm to their children without being unfairly penalized by the tax system for doing so.
• Bills C-211 and C-268, are bills that ensure conscience protections for healthcare workers. With the impending passage of Bill C-7 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) into law, many healthcare workers are concerned about being coerced into participating in something that violates their conscience or medical ethics. This bill would legislate important protections for them.
• Bill C-233, a bill that would amend the Criminal Code of Canada to make the practice of sex-selective abortion illegal. My views and positions on pro-life issues are clear and well established, but wherever constituents come down on the divisive issue of abortion, I think the vast majority of Canadians will agree that aborting a foetus simply because they are female is wrong and goes against who we are as country.

I also seconded bills:

• C-228 a bill that seeks to give those who have paid their debt to society the best possible shot at rebuilding their lives and avoiding further criminal behaviour.
• C-229 a bill to repeal the Liberal’s anti energy sector Bill C-48.
• C-237 a bill establishing a national framework for diabetes care.
• C-269 a common-sense environmental bill prohibiting the dumping of raw sewage.

These bills are just a few examples of the nuts and bolts work that parliamentarians do every day. They may not be as sensational as the latest scandal or the verbal parry and thrust of question period, but they give you an idea of the work that my colleagues and I are doing to serve the Canadians who sent us here to represent them.