​Early this week I was contacted by a local journalist for reaction to reports that the government delegation headed by PM Trudeau to attend the Queens funeral in London had cost $397,000 for the 5-night stay.
 
One room was reported to have cost $6,000 per night and included a private butler.

The Trudeau Liberal government so far refuses to disclose who stayed in that room.
 
For the record, this was a non-partisan delegation that included past Liberal and Conservative Prime Ministers as well as other dignitaries and elected officials.
 
When I was asked for my reaction, I was taken back to ten years ago when it was revealed a former Conservative cabinet minister had charged taxpayers $16 for a glass of orange juice, ironically also while travelling in London at an expensive hotel.
 
My reaction is the same then as it is now.

It is totally unacceptable there is not greater respect for the spending of tax dollars.

In the case of former Minister Bev Oda, the Minister did the honourable thing and resigned after her expenses were reported. She also repaid the expenses out of her own pocket.
 
In this case the Trudeau Liberal Government will not even tell us who should be held accountable for staying in a $6,000 a night hotel room.

That is totally unacceptable.
 
Also announced this week is the Bank of Canada is once again raising the overnight interest rate to 3.75%.

This is another increase from the previously announced increase of 3.25%
 
I am hearing from many families who are seriously struggling financially, as the increased payments on household debt have become unsustainable for them.
 
As one family recently shared, they are now coping with the extra payments solely through their line of credit however, the interest of the line of credit is also increasing, and they have calculated they can make two more months of payments before they max out their line of credit.
 
Many have also expressed concerns that if there is a cold winter having high heating bills on top of everything else will be the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
 
Unfortunately, as the Official Conservative Opposition, every effort we have made to have carbon tax increases delayed or GST removed from fuel have been opposed by the Liberal/NDP partnership.
 
With the Bank of Canada now confirming that carbon taxes increase inflation, this would be one measure the Trudeau Liberal Government could undertake to help many struggling Canadians and yet they refuse.

At a time when many are struggling, the Liberals do not have any concern with renting a $6,000 a night hotel room,

I am seriously concerned PM Trudeau does not appreciate or understand just how real the financial challenges that some Canadians are facing.
 
I should also add that many that I hear from, in this challenging fiscal situation, have good jobs and as a result do not qualify for many of the rebate and assistance programs that are available.
 
This Liberal government once promised to help the middle class and yet everyday I hear from more middle-class families who cannot afford to make ends meet.
 
My question this week:

Do you think Canadians that heat their homes with natural gas or propane should be punished with a carbon tax for attempting to stay warm in the cold winter months?

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

Canadians awoke to news this week that Canada’s rate of inflation means that prices will continue to rise at a rate of 6.9%.
 
The “upside” ,according to some media headlines, is that inflation rate increase of 6.9% is not accelerating as quickly as the 7% rate as it had last month.

Unfortunately for grocery prices, it is even worse as the rate of food inflation is currently at 11.4%.

This is the fastest increase since 1981 and is causing considerable discomfort for constituents I have spoken with, particularly those with low or fixed incomes who are feeling triple squeezed by higher gas, groceries and housing costs.
 
On the subject of food inflation, this week the House of Commons voted unanimously for an NDP motion that proposes a number of measures to closely examine the profits of Canada’s largest grocery stores.

I should add that several economists and other experts in this area have reported that they believe the data will show excess profiteering is not the cause of rapidly rising grocery prices.
 
From my perspective I believe it is important that this area is properly scrutinized and that grocery stores are accountable to elected officials to explain their pricing structures.
 
Also occurring in Ottawa is the ongoing Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) that is hearing testimony from a variety of sources as it probes whether the Trudeau Liberal government met the standard for invoking emergency powers found in the Emergencies Act as required by law.

While not a court of law, the Commission has several powers to call for evidence and to hear testimony and has expressed that it would like for the public to submit their views on this matter.

For those wishing to share a submission or email on this subject directly with the Commission, please go to the following link:
 
publicorderemergencycommission.ca/share-your-views/
 
Before I close this week, I would like to take a moment to express my sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of  fallen RCMP officer Constable Shaelyn Yang, who was fatally stabbed while checking on a homeless individual camping in a Burnaby park.
 
Constable Yang was an RCMP mental health and homeless outreach officer.
 
This indirectly leads to my question for this week.

Now that our civic elections are complete and many new mayors and councillors were elected, often at the expense of incumbents, it has been suggested by some that one drive for change was public safety.
 
My question this week:

How concerned are you about how well all levels of government combined are addressing public safety concerns?
 
I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.

​At the top this week,  I would like to congratulate Kelowna-Lake Country MP Tracy Gray in her new Shadow Cabinet role as the critic for Employment, Future Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.

As the labour market tightens, wait lists for skilled immigration grow and economic winds blow, this will be a key portfolio and I wish her well.

I would also like to congratulate North-Okanagan Shuswap MP Mel Arnold in his continued role as the Associate critic for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

His work on aquatic invasive species is near and dear to many of us that want to protect freshwater lakes like the Okanagan.

If you follow Canadian politics closely you may have heard that the Leader of His Majesty’s Official Opposition, the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, announced his new shadow cabinet on Wednesday.

While it has been a great honour to serve in a variety of different portfolios in the opposition shadow cabinet, I will not be part of this shadow cabinet and as someone who long believed in accountability and transparency, I would like to share the reason why.

A member of my family was diagnosed with an illness and so I asked to be withdrawn from consideration for a role in the upcoming shadow cabinet. 

This decision will allow for more time to be spent on issues unique to our riding and also more time for my family, as being in shadow cabinet is a serious time commitment.

As far as issues unique to the riding, we have one very important one. Local government elections.

In every community across British Columbia, many good people have put their name forward to serve.

In some cases, they may be running for re-election for the first time.

In all these situations we are fortunate that people have come forward with a passion and dedication to potentially serve as elected officials. 

Local Government is important as it provides many of the day-to-day services families rely upon.

Increasingly, as our climate changes, we also see many local mayors and councils facing extreme situations never thought possible.

I can state firsthand that Federal and Provincial disaster assistance programs are not meeting the demands of communities facing these situations.

Who you elect to represent you and your community is critically important.

I encourage all citizens to scrutinize your local candidates closely, ask tough questions and more importantly make sure you get out and vote.

My question this week:

Do you plan on voting in the October 15 local government election?

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

​During the years of the Conservative majority government, lead by the Rt. Honourable Stephen Harper, I was fortunate to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to Treasury Board.

Once I was appointed and sworn in, I was advised of the increased rules and regulations that applied to this position, that did not apply to a regular Member of Parliament.

These new rules and regulations existed because, as a Parliamentary Secretary, you represent the Crown.

As a Parliamentary Secretary, you cannot write letters of support on behalf of individuals and organizations to independent judicial or quasi-judicial processes of government, to avoid the appearance that you are attempting to unduly influence those processes. 

This is an area quite heavily scrutinized and enforced by the ethics commissioner. 

Unfortunately in 2013, my colleague at the time, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Hon. John Duncan, forgot this requirement and made a honest mistake.

John wrote a letter on behalf of a constituent to the Canada Revenue Service (CRA) tax court.

The letter, although well intended, resulted in a weeks’ worth of significant negative media stories and ultimately Minister Duncan did the honourable thing and tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Harper, who accepted it. 

I raise this issue is because this week it was revealed a similar situation occurred last month.

This time, Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who serves as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of the Treasury Board, also wrote a letter – in this case to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to advocate for a television channel's application to the CRTC for lucrative mandatory carriage with Canadian broadcasters.

This of course directly contravenes the federal guidelines that specifically prohibit parliamentary secretaries from making such interventions.

Much as with the situation with John Duncan, Liberal MP Greg Fergus stated it was an “honest mistake” however, unlike the situation with John Duncan, no resignation has yet been offered.

Likewise, chances are if you had not read about this letter in my report this week, you may not have heard about it through most Canadian media, as this letter did not receive anywhere near as much media attention as it did in 2013. 

Why is that? 

How is it that what once was an ethical lapse considered deserving of a resignation is now a non-issue?

I am not suggesting a media bias or that there is a double standard, only that the ethical standards that Ministers of the Crown, and by extension Parliamentary Secretaries, were once held to have greatly diminished under Prime Minister Trudeau. 

My question to you this week:

Is this something that concerns you or is this also something you view as a non-issue?

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