With the House of Commons now adjourned for the summer, and possibly not returning in the fall in the event the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls an election, this means my annual summer listening tour can now begin.

Every year since I was first elected as a Member of Parliament, I have made a point of meeting with citizens in every region of my riding to hear thoughts, concerns, and ideas. 

This has always been a very useful and helpful exercise as it guides the work that I do in Ottawa once the fall session gets underway.

One example of this is over this past year, with many students unable to secure jobs over the summer months due to the pandemic, it has increased student debt levels and that has also increased the anxiety many students with significant debt and interest payments.

So far this summer, while my listening tour has only just begun, I am also hearing from many small business owners who have never encountered more difficulty in hiring for vacant jobs.

In short, many report they are unable to fill vacant positions.

A big part of this can be attributed to the federal government, who has not yet implemented a plan to transition workers back into the work force as various Provinces ease pandemic restrictions.

It is my view this government would rather prioritize an election, and claim they need a majority, before any effort will be made to change current pandemic related benefit programs that are acting as a barrier to fill vacant job postings.

The purpose of my report this week is not to criticize these challenges but rather to propose a solution that may help students struggling with debt, as well as employers struggling to fill “help wanted” positions.

Before the House of Commons adjourned, I tabled my latest Private Members Bill -- Bill C-317.

My new bill proposes to amend the Income Tax Act.

Currently, if an employer wants to help an employee pay off their student loans, either with a bonus or as part of their salary, that assistance is taxed as regular income. 

My bill would allow employers and employees to enter into voluntary arrangements where payments made by an employer to an employee, pursuant to a student loan assistance program, would be a non-taxable benefit.

This would help young people to pay down debt faster and start saving for the future. 

For willing employers, this would help them attract talented workers and encourage employee retention as training costs are considerable.

From a governmental perspective, it would also help ensure that student loans are repaid faster. 

I believe that when you say to someone that the challenge young people face is materially different than previous generations, many would agree with that.

Young people often share with me that graduating with thousands of dollars in student loans is a massive barrier to them planning for the future and is also a significant source of stress and anxiety.

I have proposed Bill C-317 as a means to help with the challenge’s students and employers face.

​My question this week –

Do you support Bill C-317?

I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.

​Today is the last day the House of Commons will sit before it recesses for the summer.

If you have been following media reports, you will also know that many are speculating this may well be the final sitting of Canada’s 43rd Parliament as rumours abound that the Prime Minister will call an election before the House is scheduled to return in September.

Do I believe the election rumours? 

Curiously the Liberal omnibus budget Bill C-30, that is scheduled to be passed later today, extends current pandemic related benefits into September.

There is no question that Prime Minister Trudeau will not want to head into an election without the pandemic benefits freely flowing as cutting off these benefits would be very unpopular politically.

So it is conceivable that the Prime Minister desires to have an election using the ongoing benefits for political purposes.

Although the Parliamentary Budget Officer has repeatedly stated that our current spending levels are not sustainable, our Prime Minister and his Finance Minister have stated that as long as interest rates remain low, they believe this spending is “affordable”.

The Prime Minister has also recently used terms such as ‘toxicity’ and ‘obstructionism’ and has made claims that Parliament is “dysfunctional”.

Collectively many believe that all of this points to a pending potential summer election being called by the Prime Minister.

Form my own perspective, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the Prime Minister and his Government were just found to be in contempt of Parliament by the Speaker.

A vote was held and passed to censure the Defence Minister for his failing to take action to prevent acts of sexual misconduct from occurring against women in our Canadian Armed Forces.

This week the Canadian Forces ombudsman released a scathing report in which he stated:

"When leaders turn a blind eye to our recommendations and concerns in order to advance political interests and their own self-preservation or career advancement, it is the members of the defence community that suffer the consequences,"

This was an obvious shot across the bow at the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister.

Is Parliament dysfunctional?

I was troubled that the Prime Minister made this allegation.

On Tuesday of this week, while other Party Leaders and MP's were physically in Question Period, there was only one single Liberal MP in the House.

The Prime Minister and all of his Ministers were all absent.

When one is not in the House of Commons, to suggest it is “dysfunctional” does a disservice to those who are there serving the interests of Canadians who we are elected to represent.

On the topic of a potential election, my question is a simple one.

Would you support a summer election?

I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl..gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.

​By the time you read this, it is extremely likely that the Federal Government will have announced some sort of plan for a phased re-opening of the Canada/ USA border as well a plan for international travel at Canadian airports.

It is expected that the United States will announce a similar phased re-opening for the American border to Canadian residents.

While the details of either country’s plans are not yet known, it has been widely speculated that entry to the United States may only be open to Canadian citizens who have been fully vaccinated.

For those unfamiliar with the term, “fully vaccinated’, it applies to citizens who have received two doses of an approved vaccine within a period of time where the vaccine is determined to be in effect.

What is unknown at this point are the expectations or criteria that Canada would have for US citizens crossing the border into Canada.

It should also be noted that the House of Commons is in session for roughly ten more days before it will rise for the summer recess.

This means when the details of the phased border re-opening are public, there will be a limited amount of time to address any concerns in Ottawa.

My question this week: 

Given that an announcement on the US/Canada border is coming in the very near future, what concerns do you have that you would like to see addressed?

I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.

​Last week, in the House of Commons, the NDP used their Opposition Day to table a motion that in the words of South Okanagan - West Kootenay NDP MP Richard Cannings “called on the government to take the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action seriously.  It asked the government to finally fund the investigations that are needed to let us all know the truth. And it asked the government to stop fighting indigenous children in court.”

As MP Cannings went on to point out:

“that motion was passed unanimously in the House of Commons, though shamefully a few cabinet ministers abstained and the rest of the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister, didn’t even show up to vote.”

For the record I voted in support of this motion and participated in the emergency debate on this topic.

During the debate one of the concerns that I shared is that we must be careful in Ottawa to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

From the local Indigenous communities I have heard from, many are still in shock and others are holding community meetings. I am told there are many discussions underway.

I should also add that none of the Indigenous communities within my riding expressed support or opposition to this NDP motion, nor has other guidance been offered at this point.

This in my view raises a concern, when elected officials in Ottawa debate and vote on a motion with very little input or consultation with Indigenous leaders.

Some could rightfully call this an “Ottawa knows best approach”.

I believe we must recognize that this approach has historically not served our country well.

On balance I supported this NDP motion as I believe the intentions were sincere.

However, I also believe we must take great caution when moving on a motion without proper direction from those Indigenous communities who will be most impacted by decisions made in Ottawa.

“Meaning well” and being “well intentioned” does not mean actual outcomes will unfold as hoped or intended.

As Prime Minister Trudeau recently stated:

“If it (true reconciliation) were only done by ministers, if it were only done by Ottawa, to solve these challenges, it might have been done long ago, but it would have been done wrong,” 

My question this week:

While this NDP motion was well intended, do you believe Parliament should take greater caution in the future to receive direction and input from communities that will be impacted?

I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.
 

​From time to time I receive requests to cover specific topics in my weekly reports to local citizens.

Recently my Summerland office received a request from an individual wanting to know how much employment has changed within the Federal Government of Canada during the pandemic. 

Although the data for the current year of 2021 is not available, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat does have this information available for 2020 that in turn can be compared to 2019.

In 2020 the total number of FTE (full time equivalent employees) working within the Public Service of Canada was 300,450.

This is an increase of over 12,000 positions since 2019 where the total number of FTE positions was 287,983.

How do today’s number compare to historical trends? 

In 2010, the furthest date back this information is publicly posted there was 282,980 FTE positions.

Total FTE positions in the Public Service does not include paid consultants.

Recently the Financial Post reported the growth of paid consultants in Ottawa.

As the Globe and Mail reported the “costs for “professional and special services” are expected to hit $16.4 billion by 2022”.

In 2015, the year this current Government came to power, this amount was $9.5 Billion.

Before I close this week’s report, I would like to take a moment to share a few words that I believe the vast majority of citizens in the riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola share.

We are collectively shocked, saddened and outraged at the discovery of an unmarked gravesite for 215 children at a former Indigenous residential school in Kamloops.

This discovery is difficult to put into words. 

While we have had an emergency debate in Ottawa on this horrific discovery, the Prime Minister has also stated:

"Canada will be there to support Indigenous communities as we discover the extent of this trauma and trying to give opportunities for families and communities to heal,"

For the record, I stand with the Prime Minister and as the Official Opposition we will be supporting the work of the Government, working in partnerships with Indigenous communities, to help ensure that they receive support and accountability for this dark part of our past.  

I would in particular ask that we all think of the Tk’emlúps teSecwépemc First Nation who made this deeply disturbing discovery.

I would also ask that we remember many families in Indigenous communities throughout our region who had children in residential schools.

Many who did not return.

I have no weekly question this week.

Please consider what we can do to support our local Indigenous communities who have been so deeply impacted by this loss.