Yorkton-Melville Member of Parliament Garry Breitkreuz is looking forward to 2012 as he caps off one of the most significant years in his political career.
This was the year that Breitkreuz, an MP since 1993, finally sat in Parliament as a member of a majority government. The Conservative Party's victory in the May 2 federal election changed the country's political landscape.
It also gave the Conservatives the power to push through a wide array of legislation that had been halted by the opposition during previous attempts. The party's omnibus crime bill, the termination of the Wheat Board monopoly on western wheat and barley, and the scrapping of the long-gun registry are all now well into the process of becoming law, and are all hailed as milestones by the Yorkton-Melville MP.
The end of the long-gun registry-"One of my favorite issues," says Breitkreuz-is naturally of particular significance to the local MP. Breitkreuz has been one of the loudest voices in Parliament against the registry for almost the entirety of his political career. With the bill now through its second reading, he expects it to pass around February.
The government has taken criticism for restricting Parliamentary debate on most of these items as a means of speeding their passage, but Breitkreuz counters: "We've got a lot of things that we wanted to do within the first 100 days."
Going into 2012, jobs and the economy will continue to be the government's top priority, says Breitkreuz. That focus will be apparent when the Conservatives renew their agenda in the New Year. Other items of business will be senate reform and additional justice legislation.
Expanding trade will be one of the government's great challenges in the coming year, according to Breitkreuz. A proposed European free trade agreement will be a difficult piece of negotiation, but "a very, very important one for our economy," the MP believes.
"Another challenge, too, will probably be keeping our economy stable in a world that seems to be in turmoil. That will probably be one of our greatest challenges."
Breitkreuz encourages constituents with budget suggestions or other opinions to contact him-preferably by a personal letter rather than by email.
