On Parliament Hill

2015 was certainly a very busy year. I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the events that made 2015 so memorable.

The year started off on the right foot with the Conservative Government delivering a balanced budget. We kept our promise to Canadians, delivering the first balanced budget since the global recession. We all know, in these uncertain times, how difficult it is to deliver a balanced a budget. We see jurisdictions everywhere struggling with this. As such, it was quite the accomplishment and one that I’m very proud of.

Locally here in Provencher, I was pleased to announce support for many initiatives. Some of those include:

• Funding for 19 seniors groups through the New Horizons for Seniors Program.
• Funding for the St. Adolphe East Dike Expansion. This project will not only protect the community of St. Adolphe from flooding for many years to come, it will also allow for growth and economic development within the town’s boundaries.
• Funding for the Lorette Lagoon expansion which will increase wastewater capacity in the area.
• Funding through the Enabling Accessibility Fund for five projects in south-eastern Manitoba that will improve access for people with disabilities.
• Funding to help 43 organizations hire young Canadians for the summer through the Canada Summer Jobs program.

In May I was very pleased to present the first ever Provencher Volunteer Award to 10 very deserving community leaders here in SE Manitoba. Our area of the province is home to many volunteers who are very generous with both their time and money. It was an honour to recognize these faithful volunteers for their hard work and dedication.

Also in the spring I was honoured to host several events to recognize the sacrifices made by WWII Veterans from Southeastern Manitoba. I presented each of them with a limited edition lapel pin and a personalized certificate of recognition signed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. We owe our freedom to the courageous men and women who selflessly fought for the way of life that we all enjoy today. We must never take for granted the sacrifices that they and their families made for us and these ceremonies were a small way to recognize their heroic efforts on our behalf.

Starting on July 20, parents across the country had a reason to smile when they checked their bank accounts or mailboxes. That was the day when the increased UCCB payments starting arriving in their mailboxes and bank accounts, representing more than $3 billion being sent to about 3.8 million families. Parents started receiving payments of $520 for each child under the age of 6, and $420 for each child ages six through 17. This payment included the retroactive payments for January to June.

Later in the year I was also pleased to announce funding for several infrastructure projects across my riding. These included:

• Building Canada Infrastructure Funding for Steinbach, Landmark, Hanover and Niverville.
• Funding for thirteen projects under the Government of Canada’s Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Communities included: Ile des Chenes, Cooks Creek, Lac du Bonnet, Steinbach, East Braintree, Kleefeld, Sprague, St. Jean Baptiste, Piney, Ste. Agathe, Niverville, Powerview-Pine Falls and Ste. Anne.
• $113.65 Million of funding to improve border crossing infrastructure in the Prairie Region including the Tolstoi, Piney, South Junction and Sprague ports of entry in Manitoba.
• Funding for Bridgepark Manor to help deliver affordable assisted living in the Steinbach area.
• Funding to help provide high-speed Internet services to over 4,500 homes in Provencher. This broadband infrastructure announcement, part of the Connecting Canadians program, was great news for our communities in Provencher. Our Government understood the importance of high-speed Internet access for communities like ours.
• In early August I was also very pleased to attend the announcement by MTS that they would be bringing cell service to the Piney area. Since being elected I have worked very hard to lobby telecommunication companies to expand further into SE Manitoba. This was a very good first step and I am hopeful that more announcements will be made in 2016.

And of course, to end off the year, who could forget the extended federal election campaign which culminated on Election Day, October 19th. It certainly was a grueling 11 weeks, but it afforded me the opportunity to meet with thousands of my constituents as I went door to door and attended community events. This is democracy at its finest. While the results were not what I had hoped for at the federal level, I was certainly very pleased with the results locally.

I’d again like to say thank you for putting your trust in me to be your federal representative. I will continue to work hard for you both here and in Ottawa.

I would like to wish everyone in Provencher a very happy and healthy new year in 2016.