This week I am back in Ottawa attending a number of briefings and meetings related to Okanagan-Coquihalla and also my new duties as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of Treasury Board. When I’m in Ottawa one of the ways I stay in touch with the Okanagan is through reading various online editions of local news outlets. One recent trend that I have noted in some letters to the editor is an increase of personal attacks directed against elected officials. In any democratic society there will always be disagreement from time to time on issues and likewise there is merit in constructive criticism and debate, however mean spirited personal attacks in my view have no standing and add little constructive value to a discussion. I know many Mayors, councillors, MLA’s and MP’s who work hard on a range of challenges and generally throughout the Okanagan we have a good track record of our different levels of government working together in successful partnerships. While it is understandable that some of the projects and administrative decisions will be disagreeable to some the reaction to insult and attack the decision makers as opposed to questioning the decisions made is counterproductive and lowers the level of debate. 

Fortunately there is an alternative. If you disagree with the decision of an elected official rather than engaging in a personal attack, why not take the time to first contact the individual(s) directly to share your concerns and at the same time ask why a particular policy or decision was made.  

A meaningful two way discussion can better inform both parties and that in turn can lead to a better understanding on an issue. There may not be a mutual agreement however at the very least there will always be a benefit to respectful dialogue that focuses on the issues and not the personalities involved.

On a different subject recently a few people have asked some questions on my weekly MP reports and it occurred to me that I have not in the past provided information on my weekly reports. It may surprise some to learn that there is no formal requirement for a Member of Parliament to issue regular reports to constituents. From my own observations I have noted that some MP’s do weekly reports as I have done since being elected while others prefer bi-weekly or monthly and some take a more sporadic approach depending on events the MP believes are of interest to local constituents. 

As far as content of an MP report this is entirely at the discretion of the Member of Parliament. While some make allegations that MP reports are written or are otherwise directed by the Prime Minister’s Office (or elsewhere) these claims are completely untrue. In my case I compose my own reports each week no differently then how I respond personally to emails and return citizens phone calls. For the record my reports are not “vetted” or “approved” and each week are sent directly from my office to local media and citizens that can sign up for an automatic email subscription. If you are interested to receive my MP reports via email you can do so at my www.danalbas.com website. I try in each report to cover topics that may be of interest to local citizens and to communicate on bills and other aspects of Parliamentary affairs to increase awareness of what occurs in Ottawa here locally. 

Each week I typically receive a number of responses to a MP report that can range from being positive and encouraging and at other times can be quite critical of Government or asking for additional information. I greatly value all comments and concerns including criticisms; this input is greatly valued and hopefully with continued respectful dialogue we can continue to build a stronger Canada.

In one of my July reports I referenced the importance of innovation and cited specific examples where our Government has entered into partnership agreements with many value added wood producers in Western Canada including Okanagan Falls.

The importance of developing new wood based building technology is critically important to many communities in Okanagan-Coquihalla as it creates many well paying jobs and supports rural resource communities. In the same report I also referenced the central need to create new trade agreements that in turn can open up new markets that our local manufacturers can access. In previous reports I have also referenced the efforts of our Government in creating new trade agreements with other countries and at the same time have also noted that there will always be those who continue to oppose these trade agreements.

Why is trade important to British Columbia and Canada? Rather the engage in a rhetorical answer to this question I believe it is important to provide specific real world examples. Last week the community of Whistler hosted the 10th annual Global Buyers Mission and Wood First Forum. In many respects this forum is like the world series of BC wood products as over 350 buyers representing 23 different countries gathered to do business with BC wood producers. When you consider that over 40 percent of all Canadian wood products are now exported internationally clearly the importance of trade deals and this forum are key to our forest industry and our regional economies. In fact, despite recent challenges within the sector, the Canadian forest industry currently employs roughly 235,000 Canadians and contributes over $20 billion annually to our GDP. The spin off employment and economic impact on other industries as we know locally is also very significant.

Getting back onto the topic of trade and the forest industry while some have questioned trade with countries such as China, South Korea and more recently India, it is also important to recognize that wood product exports have increased significantly to these countries. China is now Canada’s second largest wood export market and South Korea has moved up to number five. In fact Canada now exports significant amounts of wood product to over 20 different countries that also include Japan, Taiwan, Netherlands, Philippines, Belgium, Turkey, Hong Kong, Pakistan and New Zealand to name a few. We are also fortunate that Canada’s Minister of International Trade is the Hon. Ed Fast from Abbotsford, British Columbia and as such has a firm understanding on the importance of trade to the BC Forest industry.

How does trade and wood product exports benefit us locally? In several previous reports and in Parliament I have often shared the success of Penticton based Structurlam Industries, who has now expanded into Okanagan Falls. This innovative value added company provides over 150 well paying jobs. Much of the lumber sourced by Structurlam comes from Kalesnikoff Lumber, a rural mill located in Thrums, B.C. that has taken pride in being a BC specialty wood producer for over 70 years. Each of these operations employs many local workers and utilizes many local industries for support services and supplies. While in Whistler at the Global Wood Buyers forum, over 150 architects participated in a forum to learn more about new innovative building technologies, like the ones at Structurlam. It should be noted that some of these innovative wood products are made possible by investments in innovation created in partnership by companies like Structurlam and our Government. These new and innovative products have created a very promising level of interest and I have also been informed that two international delegations will be visiting Structurlam in the weeks ahead. These types of events seldom receive much media attention however they are indeed very exciting for those in the BC wood sector and show how our Government, working in partnership with industry can create innovations that generate new jobs and support our local economies. Let’s also not overlook the importance of trade deals in opening new markets that help create Canadian prosperity and employment.

The September long weekend has often been thought of as the “end of summer” given that students will be returning to classes in the days following the holiday Monday. For students entering post-secondary education it can be a very exciting time but also an expensive one. 

Although post-secondary education falls primarily within Provincial jurisdiction, our Government offers some tax relief that parents and students should be aware of. For example students can claim tuition fees that are paid to a College or University and in some cases other Canadian educational institutions that offer post-secondary courses. In addition, tuition fees paid for courses that are certified by Employment and Social Development Canada to develop or improve occupational skills may also be claimed. 

In meeting with a very well regarded local manufacturer in West Kelowna last week the challenge of finding skilled workers was identified in spite of offering very well paying local positions. In fact, with close to a dozen different tours of local manufactures over the past few months I have yet to encounter one that has not reported similar challenges in finding skilled workers. I would urge many students entering into post-secondary education to give strong consideration to trades-oriented training opportunities.

Another tax relief program that post-secondary students may take advantage of is the ability to claim an education amount of $400 for each entire or part month in the year that they are enrolled in a full-time qualifying educational program, or $120 per month for part-time enrolment in a specified educational program, at a designated educational institution. One program that may be of benefit to some students is the ability to claim a textbook amount of $65 for each month where they qualify for the full-time education amount or $20 for each part-time month. In all of these programs it’s very important to keep your receipts, as they must be used to apply for the various tax rebates. Last year there was roughly $11 Billion claimed by students and families in tax relief to help absorb the costs of post-secondary education. Although this is a very significant amount of financial assistance, there still yet may be qualifying students and families that are unaware that this and other tax relief is available. The importance of investing in your future with a quality education is one that can never be emphasized enough. I hope all students have a productive and enjoyable school year.

Much as investments in education are important, so too are investments into infrastructure. As part of my summer listening tour I had the opportunity to participate in many ribbon cutting events celebrating the completion of various much needed infrastructure work. Road projects, sewer and water systems and increasingly, public walk-ways, are just some of the many improvements to many communities within Okanagan-Coquihalla. 

Recently I was asked by a senior resident to put our Government's commitment to infrastructure funding into perspective. By the numbers since 2006, our Government has contributed towards the creation to over 43,000 projects Canada wide. The new building Canada plan also includes $70 Billion in federal infrastructure funding over the next 10 years. In the next two years alone over $10 Billion will be invested into infrastructure.To put this number into context from a historical perspective this $10 billion over the next two years is more than the previous Liberal Government invested into infrastructure during the entire 13 years they were in power. I mention this last point not to be partisan but to provide a context on the commitment of our Government to invest in community infrastructure compared to what was done previously. I know from my time as a city councillor, the ability to partner with senior levels of governments ensures that community infrastructure is built in a manner that residents can best afford. 

By ensuring that our infrastructure commitment is guaranteed over a 10 year cycle local government can better plan priorities and also budget accordingly. However we should also recognize that that virtually every aspect of infrastructure planning, development, engineering, building and often maintenance is performed by individuals with some level of post-secondary training and/or education. As we enter September and our children return to the classrooms let us all recognize the importance of education in the future of our great country.