On Parliament Hill

As the summer months come to a close and the fall Parliamentary session nears, I thought this would be a good opportunity to look back at the past summer as well as look ahead to the issues that will no doubt dominate Parliament once MPs return to Ottawa on September 19th.

During the summer months I had the opportunity to connect with residents from across southeastern Manitoba. I attended dozens of community events and festivals, each uniquely reflective of their host communities. As the Member of Parliament for such a geographically large riding, there is no shortage of celebratory events. It never ceases to amaze me how communities come together, often thanks to the work of a core group of volunteers, to enjoy the festivities.

Two highlights of my summer were definitely the constituency barbecues I hosted in Niverville and Steinbach. Both saw‎ great turnouts, with approximately 600 and 1000 people in attendance, respectively. These events are always valuable for me because I am able to hear firsthand about the issues that are important to residents of Provencher. It was fantastic to visit with so many constituents over the course of these evenings. I am grateful for all of the encouragement and kind words of support that were shared with me as well.

In meeting with my constituents, the most common concern I heard was regarding the many irresponsible actions of the Liberal Government. In fact, just last week, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released the Fiscal Analysis of Federal Children’s Benefits. The PBO’s analysis found that since the new system is income tested and the income thresholds are not indexed, over time more families will actually see their benefits decline and fewer families will receive benefits. More than 500,000 families will be impacted next year alone.

Conservatives believe in supporting hardworking Canadian families and ensuring that they get to keep more of their hard earned money to spend on their priorities. That is why we increased and expanded the Universal Child Care Benefit, introduced the Family Tax Cut, increased the Child Care Expense Deduction, doubled the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit and established the Children’s Art Tax Credit. Sadly, the Liberal government cancelled all of these initiatives.

Whether it is scaling back child care benefits, raising taxes, or running massive deficits, the Liberals have consistently broken economic promises they have made to Canadians.

As Parliament resumes, I will continue to raise these concerns amongst my colleagues and in Parliament. And as always, please feel free to contact my office with any other concerns or issues of a federal nature that you may need assistance with.

Thank you for a great summer Provencher! I wish you all the best as you head into your fall-time activities.