I have enjoyed the summer in the Okanagan-Shuswap and being back in the riding office. Parliament has been prorogued until Oct. 16. Just so you know, that does not mean MPs are not back to work, it only means the House of Commons is not sitting. Parliament has been prorogued 126 times in the past 146 years so this is not uncommon.
Our government passed a record number of bills during the 2013 spring session and almost cleared the legislative agenda of the ‘Speech from the Throne’ that began the 41st Parliament in 2011. It is time now to reset the priorities of this government and the legislative agenda for the next two years leading up to the 2015 election. I can assure you that we will continue our Economic Action Plan’s ‘Jobs, Growth and Prosperity’ agenda. The Prime Minister has also spoken of our continued “Cracking Down on Crime” agenda with new legislation promised in the fall that will better protect our children from child predators.
It is my hope that this fall, the Supreme Court will have completed their review of the government’s questions relating to Senate reform so that we are able to move forward with addressing the future of the Upper House.
The good news in August was that revenues received by the Government of Canada were $8 billion higher than projected, so our deficit will be lower this year. I am certain this will ensure our target of a balanced budget by 2015 will be achieved.
The Prime Minister during the G20 has tried to persuade member countries to set a target of 25 per cent debt to the GDP so that global economies will be less volatile. Canada has the lowest debt to GDP in the G20 which has served us well during the past economic downturn.
I will continue to submit columns to the paper to ensure you are abreast of the issues and the solutions proposed by your government in Ottawa.
-Colin Mayes is the MPfor the Okanagan-Shuswap riding.
