Seventeen communities had a special visitor to coffee row as Kelly Block took advantage of the parliamentary break to tour her Carlton Trail – Eagle Creek constituency.
The Canadian parliament will return to their first session of 2018 by the end of January, so Block took time speaking with her constituents on her New Years Tour from Jan. 15 to Jan. 19.
This included stops in Cudworth and Wakaw on Jan. 16 and Bruno, Muenster, Englefeld, Lake Lenore, and Humboldt on Jan. 18.
For Block, the goal was to get into communities, meet with constituents, find out what the issues are that concern them the most. Not just in their own community but across the province and across the country.”
Issues varied from community to community with small business taxes, summer job funding and the abortion attestation, and marijuana legislation on the forefront of discussion.
The Canadian government is committed to bringing these things forward, says Block, and how they address concerns and questions from Canadians is going to be a matter of time.
It is up to the opposition to ask the questions that their constituents are asking, says Block, and “ensure that their concerns; from the business community, individuals, and other organizations, to make sure that we’re asking the right questions of the government and holding them to account.”
Moving forward, Block will be taking these issues to both her regional and national caucuses and share with her colleagues the issues that concern her constituents. Enough of a response means that the Conservative party will be forming a national response to certain issues.
“We’ll be able to hear whether these same issues are coming to the surface in other parts of the country.”
Some local issues were also brought up in conversation with Block. Muenster residents are concerned about the loss of their post office with the closure of the St. Peter’s Press.
Block says there are some things that need to be done at the local level as well as the Canada Post level to ensure that postal service continues in Muenster.
Water issues still plague Lake Lenore, says Block, and that was an issue that was up for discussion there.
“I had the opportunity to both tour the area and meet with groups that would find themselves on opposite sides of the issue in terms of what the remedy might be.”
Municipality groups have been formed to address a variety of local issues. Block says she is looking forward to meeting with those groups to also discuss issues and solutions.
Block’s time in Humboldt was spent meeting with Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce members, including chamber executive director Stacey Poss and board member Dan Torwalt. Any time you can hear the voice of Ottawa and voice your concerns about local area is a great opportunity, he says.
For Torwalt, Block discussed different issues around increases to mortgage rates and immigration.
Mortgage rates drive the home building, says Torwalt, and while it may not have as much of an impact as Toronto or Vancouver, at a million dollars in residential building permits in 2017, it will be something that the City of Humboldt has to look into.
Torwalt is sure that Block appreciates the comments brought to her through the tour, he says.
Poss does appreciate Block taking the time to stop in Humboldt and address some of their members and speak on issues.
Poss specifically was concerned about the cancellation of the Energy East Pipeline and spoke with Block about how that came about.
Project management seemed to be a factor, says Poss, and Block did not seem impressed as well with the result.
If Block can help in anyway with clarifications regarding programs and services, that was also another way she could address concerns of her constituents, she says.
With the new session of parliament only days away, Block says there is going to be a lot of discussion surrounding marijuana as they move towards July.
What ever discussions to come up in the next session of parliament, Block says committee work means that both parties have to work together to get decisions made and discussion happening.
“If we’re committed to working collaborative at committee, then obviously there will be some good work when it comes to reviewing legislation and bringing forward recommendations.”
That is key for Block as she continues her role within the opposition party, which is a very important role, she says.
This is not the only opportunity her constituents have to meeting and speaking with her, says Block, with her email and office always available.
“I will always respond to a constituent, whether it is by letter, phone call, email, or directly meeting with them.”
Issues on tour
Carbon Tax
The Liberal government is committed to establishing some form of carbon tax, says Block. Provinces are being required to have tax plans in place by the fall of 2018.
Marijuana
The Liberal government is committed to the legalization of marijuana, says Block. Now it is just a matter of time to see how concerns from Canadians are addressed.
With many concerns coming forward, Block does not see legalization coming as of July 1.
This is an issue that is going to be addressed at all levels of government, says Torwalt and he hopes that all levels of government can work together to share ideas and share revenue.
This is a great opportunity for business, says Torwalt.
“There’s always going to be concerns with the social aspects and policing but it’s going to happen. We’re going to have to accept it and not put our heads in the sand.”
Summer Job Attestation
St. Therese Institute’s executive director Vicky Serblowski, attended the Bruno stop at the Bruno Cafe to speak with Block about the summer job funding.
As a sponsor of the Bruno Cherry Festival, putting on the festival would be nearly impossible without a summer intern. However, under new regulations with the Canada Summer Works Program, applying for funding would mean having to attest to supporting for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
“We, as a Catholic organization and myself personally as a Catholic, we cannot sign that.”
She had the opportunity to discuss the issue with Block, who agrees that this is a concern.
“Organizations are required to sign off on certain values and views that they may not hold just to access funding under that program,” says Block.
