It was very busy year for MP Dr. Robert Kitchen, especially as his work in Parliament included being the Acting Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, and then he was appointed to sit on the Standing Committee on Health, the first parliamentary committee to study COVID-19 and its impact on Canada.
When the House was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kitchen noted it took some time to set up virtual meetings. The importance of the Standing Committee on Health meant that three out of four meetings for that committee were held in person.
“I am proud of the work that was done during my time on the Health committee. We investigated matters such as PPE availability for frontline workers, vaccine development, government stockpiles, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and much more. It was important to me that even in the midst of a pandemic, we held the Liberals to account for their actions,” said Kitchen.
“During the time when we were dealing with issues regarding the pandemic, many of us on the committee were still learning about our new roles, and how large of a scale the COVID-19 pandemic truly was.”
“It stayed at the top of my mind to make sure that the committee held the government accountable, especially since there were important programs that were missed in the first announcement of federal programming to support Canadians. The Conservative party pushed forward on programs such as wage subsidy, the emergency business support, and extra child benefit programs as a way to help families who were struggling during the pandemic,” said Kitchen.
“This last year has been a rollercoaster, but I am so proud of the efforts I’ve seen in our communities to help everyone weather this storm. You have come together in the face of adversity by building support networks and reaching out to those in need. It is extremely admirable, and I cannot commend you enough for how you’ve handled this ever-changing situation. Even though there are differences of thought, people have been respectful of other’s opinions and courteous in their actions.”
In August, the Conservatives elected a new Leader, Erin O’Toole, who has vowed to fight for the rights of Canadians all across the country.
“MP O’Toole is the right person for the job. I supported him the first time that he ran for leader, and I support him now. He truly recognizes how diverse the Conservative party is, and has made sure to make important opposition-led motions, that have passed.”
In early October, MP Kitchen was elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. “This has been a challenge as there is much to learn, however, it is always exciting to tackle something new and I look forward to continuing this work in the new year.”
In 2021, Kitchen said that the Conservative party will continue to press the Federal Liberal Party to release a budget. “We need to ensure that if the government is spending money, that they are being accountable to Canadians. We need to know why $400 billion was added to the deficit, to Canada’s debt, and where that money is being spent.”
“Also, in the past four years, the Federal Liberal party has turned their back on the energy sector, which includes the Keystone XL pipeline. For the Souris-Moose Mountain riding, the energy sector is one of the most innovative industries. It is important that we build this pipeline so we can use Canadian oil, instead of foreign oil. The main question we want answered, is the same requirements and taxes being pushed on the Keystone XL pipeline being pushed on foreign oil?”
“The increase to Carbon Tax will also obviously have an impact, not only to the energy sector but also to agricultural producers. It will go from $50 a tonne to $170 a tonne, so Canadians will pay more,” said Kitchen.
“We need to recognize the work that is completed in carbon sequestration, as right now there is no credit for those programs. We are world leaders in carbon capture storage, and need to utilize these strategies more. The investment in carbon capture is a Canadian ingenuity that is multi-use, and is helping to end emissions.”
In his final thoughts for the year, Kitchen said, “I encourage all of you to continue taking the necessary safety measures so that we can protect our most vulnerable and come out of this as unscathed as possible. You’ve done a great job so far, so please keep up the good work.”
