​By the time you read this weeks report, newly sworn in United States President Joe Biden may well have signed an executive order rescinding the construction permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. 

The Keystone XL pipeline is proposed to connect Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska over 1,947-kilometres to transport Canadian crude oil to US refineries. 

The potential loss of the Keystone XL pipeline would have a significant impact for Canada, in particular Alberta, in terms of job losses and billions lost from corporate income taxes, carbon taxes as well as royalty payments.

The loss of the Keystone XL pipeline will also mean that US based refineries will have to increase importing crude oil from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, countries that have much weaker environmental and labour standards than here in Canada.

A potential increase of shipments of oil by rail between Canada and the United States is also a likely outcome with the loss of the Keystone XL pipeline.

This outcome is not only more costly; but it is less efficient and less safe. 

For these reasons, the Keystone XL pipeline has been long supported by the Conservative Party both when in government and now in opposition. 

It has also been long supported by Prime Minister Trudeau.

In fact, during his time in opposition, Justin Trudeau was clear that “one of the big things the Prime Minister needs to get right is getting our resources to market.”

Mr. Trudeau also stated that if a US President veto’s Keystone XL “the Prime Minister has not fulfilled that responsibility.”

Justin Trudeau was clear that if the Keystone XL pipeline is blocked by the United States that the “Prime Minister take personal responsibility for this diplomatic failure”.

By Mr. Trudeau’s own words this potential Keystone XL pipeline failure is one that he, as the Prime Minister today, must now take full responsibility for.

Those who follow this Prime Minister closely will know that he will not likely take any responsibility for this "diplomatic failure."

The reality is the Keystone XL pipeline has been a target of US Democratic Presidents for some time now, including under both President Obama and now President Biden.

This was just as true in 2013 as it is today.

From my perspective, blaming this solely on a Canadian Prime Minister would be just as unfair in 2021 as it was in 2014.

I mention this as an Opposition MP because I feel it is important that our criticisms as opposition should be fair and accurate to the government in power. 

This was a courtesy that was not extended by the current Prime Minister when he served in the opposition and I recall having these same thoughts when I sat on the government side of the house during that time.

My question this week:

Do you support the Keystone XL pipeline being built?

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

This week Canada had some good news: the Prime Minister announced a new deal that will result in an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine coming to Canada.

Unfortunately, this additional vaccine supply will not make it to Canada until sometime between April or May.

This is very important because this week CBC reported that British Columbia has now “slowed its pace” administering the vaccine while the province awaits for more vaccine supply to arrive.

Another decision that B.C. has had to make, related to the lack of supply for the COVID vaccine, is that the required 2nd dose will now be administered 35 days after the first dose. 

The reason for this is to ensure as many vulnerable citizens receive the first dose as possible and to maximize the limited supply.

The challenge with this is that Health Canada states the following:

“The vaccine is given by an injection (0.3 mL) into the muscle of the arm. For the vaccine to work best, you need to get 2 doses: a single dose and then a second dose 21 days later. Based on studies in about 44,000 participants, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 beginning 1 week after the second dose. This means that people may not be fully protected against COVID-19 until at least 7 days after the second dose.”

B.C. has indicated that extending the 2nd dose to 35 days is ‘approved’ by the World Health Organization as well as the Federal Government.

This is noteworthy as Health Canada is the regulatory agency that approves the use of any vaccine or drug based on its arms length, evidence based process.

However, some groups of B.C. Doctors have opposed this move suggesting it is potentially “unscientific, unsafe and unethical.”

The B.C. Nurses Union has also been reported as questioning this move stating that nurses “follow the other guidelines from the manufacturer around storage and handling of this vaccine," pointing out that; "now we're going to deviate?"

It is unfortunate B.C. is in this situation.

It is well known that the Trudeau Liberal Government, for reasons unknown, made their first deal with the China based CanSino Biologics to deliver vaccine.

The Chinese Government ultimately blocked this vaccine from coming to Canada.

As a result of that deal collapsing, Canada did not secure the large quantities of vaccine it now has on order from other manufactures in as timely of a manner.

My question this week is not a political one.

If you received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine (as some citizens now have, here in the Okanagan) do you believe it is a reasonable expectation to receive the second dose within the 21 day timeframe as set out by the manufacturer?

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

​By now you have heard that COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed worldwide, including within Canada.

Currently two vaccines have been approved for use by Health Canada; the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. 

Without getting into the technical details, both vaccines require two doses to be deemed effective.

Pfizer-BioNTech requires a second dose to be given 21 days after the first dose, while Moderna is 28 days apart from the first dose.

The timing between the first dose and the second dose is important, given the limited supply of available vaccine 

For example, at the beginning of this week British Columbia had received 54,625 doses combined of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine.

In turn 28,209 of these doses have now already been administered to those who fall under Stage 1 priority.

Who is Stage 1 priority here in BC?  

A brief summary of this list includes “residents, staff and essential visitors to long-term care and assisted-living residences.” 

In addition, “Individuals in hospital or community awaiting a long-term care placement” as well as “Health care workers providing care for COVID-19 patients in settings like ICU, emergency departments, medical/surgical units and paramedics”.

Remote and isolated Indigenous communities are also included in Stage 1.

Some have looked at the 54,625 doses of vaccine delivered to B.C. and questioned why only 28,209 doses have been administered to date, pointing out this vaccination rate is only around 51%. 

Herein lies the challenge.

Since two doses are required per person, the 54,625 doses allows for 27,312 individuals to receive both shots of the vaccine.

BC has now administered over 28,000 doses.

That means that there is not enough vaccine supply available for all of those vaccinated individuals to receive their second dose.

The supply to give those required second doses has not yet arrived, here in BC.

This additional vaccine supply must first land in Canada, then is transported to BC and finally distributed to various vaccination sites within our province to be available for those needing the required second dose within that 21-28 day window.

This illustrates the immense challenges that Provincial Health Authorities are dealing with given the very limited COVID supply that the Federal Government has managed to procure.

For some context, while BC has received 54,625 doses, nearby Washington State, with a population 2.6 million people more B.C., received over six times more doses at 358,025.

It is important to understand, with the limited supply of COVID vaccine here in BC, citizens must continue to take all precautions as a result.

To put it bluntly, it will be some time before the vaccine delivery will make a significant impact.

My question this week:

Are you satisfied with how the vaccine is being distributed in Canada? 

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

As Canadians prepare for a 2020 holiday season unlike any other, we are all feeling the collective impacts of travel restrictions.

For some, this may be the first Christmas spent somewhere that is not your usual destination with your friends and family.

With so many different travel restrictions, many have turned to Canada Post or other couriers, not just to acquire goods, but also to send gifts to loved ones who are unable to come home.

For those of you in B.C. who may have attempted to ship a bottle of our amazing Okanagan wine or your favourite local craft beer or an artisan distilled spirit to friends or family in another province through Canada Post, you likely discovered your shipment was refused.

With so many restaurants running at reduced capacities and travel restrictions resulting in less local winery visits and sales, one of our key local industries, like many others, has been significantly impacted by this pandemic.

Unlike some other industries who can take advantage of online sales to the rest of Canada, our local producers of wine, craft beers and spirits are shut out of major provinces, such as Quebec and Ontario solely because of provincial liquor monopolies and their restrictive policies. 

For this reason, before Parliament adjourned, I introduced my latest private members, Bill C-260.

This bill, often referred to as the "Buy, Ship & Sip bill" would amend the Canada Post Act so that Canada Post can bypass these repressive provincial monopolies.

Strong support from consumers as well as industry has been received thus far, but it is unclear if the government and other opposition parties will support the bill. 

I will provide a further update on this once Parliament resumes.

Before I close this week's report, I would like to sincerely wish everyone a Merry Christmas and joyous holiday season.

Particularly I would like to thank all front-line workers and also those in working in healthcare and seniors’ homes.

For all of our essential service workers this holiday season will mean considerable time away from their families serving the public.

My question this week:

How will you spend this holiday season differently from years past?

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

​Back on June 3rd I asked the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion a very simple question:

 “Mr. Chair, can the minister please tell us the current balance of the EI account?”

I ended up having to ask the Minister three times for an answer to this question.

The Minister promised, and I quote: “out of respect for this House, I would prefer to give (the member) an accurate answer, which I promise to provide as soon as possible.”

That was in June and we are now in December and the Minister still has not answered this question.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) also took note of the Liberal government secrecy around the EI account and referenced this topic in last week’s PBO report, pointing out that there was no “outlook for the Employment Insurance Operating Account.”

The PBO has further stated:

"Given that forecasted EI expenses far exceed projected program revenues, the EI Operating Account is on track for a cumulative deficit of $52 billion by the end of 2024.”

Why does this matter? 

By law, the EI premiums that Canadians pay must cover the expenses of the Employment Insurance program.

If the expenses exceed the revenue, as is currently the case, the Government must, within a seven-year time frame, recover the deficit of EI funds that have been paid out.

The PBO report points out:

“The Government has not indicated in Fall Economic Statement 2020 (FES 2020),  or elsewhere, whether it plans to address the projected shortfall in EI revenues through higher premium rates, reduced benefits or through payments from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.”

This is a critically important question. 

It is very concerning that the Liberals have, for five months now, refused to disclose the current status of the EI account to Canadians.

Why the secrecy?

Canadian workers’ pay into the EI fund every pay period.

The EI fund belong to workers and Canadians deserve a full accounting from the Trudeau Liberal government on the status of the EI account and if it is currently sustainable.

My question this week –

Do you think the Trudeau Liberal government is serving the interests of Canadians well by withholding the EI account balance from you?

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

One of the roles of the official Opposition is to hold the Government to account on where your tax dollars are spent.

Historically journalists have also been part of this process and more recently, at least in Ottawa, also the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Since mid-March, when the pandemic began, and up until the end of November, the Federal Government has spent approximately $240 billion on various pandemic programs and services.

For some context, on that works out to over $6,300 for every Canadian.

This raises the obvious question as to where that money has gone.

Recently Canada’s former Parliamentary Budget Officer was quoted as saying, after looking at the Trudeau Liberals latest fiscal update:
 
“It's impossible to read. I have done this for years and I can't even follow the money,"

As Parliamentarians in the official Opposition, we have experienced similar frustrations trying to get more detailed financial information from the Finance Minister, thus far without much success.

Fortunately, the investigative journalists at CBC have also been looking at this topic and have made some important progress.

The large numbers have been well known as they are publicly available.

The $240 billion breaks down into three categories.


$105.6 billion was spent on programs for individuals, $16.1 billion on supports for government related programs and finally $ 118.3 billion on programs for businesses. 

It is this last category, and attempting to identify exactly where these business supports have gone, that has raised many concerns.

CBC has used corporate filing information to track down over 400 companies that have received financial assistance from the federal government.

The Financial Post has taken this investigation further and identified, to date, 68 publicly traded companies that received this taxpayer financial assistance in the form of wage subsidies and at the same time paid out shareholder dividends. 

In other cases, executive bonus money has been reported to have been paid out as well as stock buy back programs have been used.

The Liberal Government has been clear that the wage subsidy program is to be used to pay workers, not to pay for dividends or executive bonuses.

However, at the same time the Liberal Government is refusing to disclose what other companies accessed these funds. 

Were it not for investigative journalism, the public would be unaware of these 68 companies that have been identified to date.

My question this week:

Given the Liberals refusal to disclose this information, should it be a requirement for a company applying for taxpayer assistance programs to be publicly listed as a recipient of this funding? 

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

​It may seem difficult to believe today but there was once time where Parliament was a highly secretive place where citizens had no access to what actually occurred during debates.

Not only did this make it incredibly difficult for citizens to hold elected officials to account, it also created a situation where the public would hear different and competing characterizations of events that could differ significantly between opposition and government. 

Fortunately, a gentleman by the name of Thomas Hansard came along and began publishing the events that occurred within the British Parliament and eventually this evolved into the system now known as “Hansard”.

Today we reference the Hansard Index as the key resource to information about what is said by Members of Parliament, in the House of Commons, during a session of Parliament.

This is not only transcribed into written text, but we also have audio and video records as part of the Hansard Index.

Hansard is how citizens can hold elected officials to account and allow Canadians to view debates and form their own opinions on events without partisan influence. 

An example of this dates back to February of 2018, when the House of Commons was debating the idea of taxing online streaming services such as Netflix.

During this debate the NDP asked Prime Minister Trudeau why online companies such as Netflix and Facebook do not charge sales tax to Canadians.

The Prime Minister, in reply stated:

“It is not web giants that the NDP wants to charge, it is taxpayers. The New Democrats want to make taxpayers pay more taxes.”

When the NDP followed up with a second question on this the Prime Minister this time stated:

“Once again, the New Democrats are misleading Canadians. They are talking about making web giants pay their fair share. It is not the web giants they want to pay more in taxes; it is taxpayers. We made a commitment to taxpayers that they would not have to pay more for their online services. We on this side of the House plan to keep that promise.”

This week the Trudeau Liberal Government released what they called, a fiscal update.

In this update there is increased spending that will result in the budget deficit hitting at least $388.8 billion in 2020-21.

While there has been much discussion on the spending, there has been less focus on the fact that this budget update also proposes new taxes.

Specifically, the Liberal fiscal update proposes to tax online streaming services such as Netflix.

The Trudeau Liberals have indicated they expect to take $1.2 Billion out of Canadians pockets from these new online taxes over the next five years.

Back in August, when Parliament was prorogued, and the Prime Minister was asked by a reporter if he would increase taxes, his answer was clear:

“No. The last thing Canadians need is to see a rise in taxes right now,”

My question this week:

What do you think of the Prime Minister’s performance in this matter?

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

​This week the House of Commons is sitting in Ottawa in a hybrid format.

One of the Liberal Governments signature bills – Bill C-12 -- has come before the House for debate.

Bill C-12 is the “Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act” that the Liberals say will respect “transparency and accountability in Canada's efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.”

Here is some history on where Canada stands with GHG emission reductions.

In 1993, former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien promised to reduce our GHG emissions to 20% of 1988 levels by 2005.

That promise was broken.

In 1997, then Prime Minister Chretien signed the Kyoto accord that promised to reduce our emissions by a smaller amount of 6% below 1990 levels that would be achieved by 2012.

In 2006, when the Liberals were voted out of office, Canada was 30% over that target and as a result, former Prime Minister Harper withdrew Canada from the Kyoto agreement.

In 2009, at the Copenhagen climate conference, former PM Harper matched the U.S. target to cut GHG emissions by 17% of 2005 levels by 2020 and 30% by 2013, in what was a non-binding agreement.

In 2015, shortly after the election Prime Minister Trudeau sent the largest Canadian delegation in history to attend the Paris Climate Change Conference, at a cost in excess of $1 million dollars.

And we know, while there in Paris, despite often criticizing the former Harper Government, this Liberal Government adopted those exact same targets.

The targets the Liberals adopted in 2015 are reported as being astray by 123 million tonnes in 2020, meaning that once again we are failing to meet our GHG emissions target reductions.

In Bill C-12, the Liberal government has taken a different approach.

Rather then announcing a new plan for today, the Prime Minister has announced that Canada will achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.

How does that happen?

The legislation is silent on that.

Rather than providing a roadmap on how to achieve that goal, this bill instead proposes that it will be to some extent the current government, but mostly future governments to set binding climate targets to figure out a solution by 2050.

This would be accomplished by requiring future federal governments to set five-year interim emissions reduction targets over the next 30 years but that process would not begin until 2030.  

Critics have pointed out this means that there will not be any binding target for the current Trudeau Liberal government.

Many have also asked what happens under Bill C-12 if a future federal government fails to reach its emissions targets, as in the past and present, with our current Liberal Government. 

The answer is that there is no formal penalty built into this bill.

This fact has drawn a strong rebuke from many critics.

The bill also calls for the creation of a 15-person panel who will make recommendations to the Minister of the Environment.

What is most interesting about this bill is that it will not hold the current government accountable for it’s many climate related promises made since 2015. 

It is largely focused on future governments, that the current government does not need to be accountable for.

My question for you this week:

What are your thoughts on Bill C-12? 

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

It was back in January of 2019 that I last referenced the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.

In that weekly report I mentioned that this technology company, aside from wireless devices, also produces hardware such as servers and other technologies that enable 5G wireless networks. 

5G networks empower autonomous vehicles and other automated machinery to operate and is widely considered to be essential for the emerging new digital economy.

The reason why Huawei is frequently referenced is because many of Canada’s allies including the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have all banned Huawei 5G technology citing security concerns. 

The Conservative Opposition believes that Canada, as a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence network, should stand with our allies in banning Huawei from participating in our 5G rollout in Canada.

After my January 2019 report, the former Liberal Public Safety Minister, Ralph Goodale, stated his Liberal government would make a decision on Huawei before the 2019 federal election. 

That was May 1st 2019.

Then on July 30th 2019, the Trudeau Liberal Government broke that promise and said the decision would not be made until after the 2019 election.

Fast forward to present day and it's been over a year since the federal election and still Canadians cannot get a clear answer from this Liberal Government on whether they stand with our 5G allies or not, when it comes Huawei.

This week the Conservative Opposition in the House of Commons tabled the following motion:

“That, given that (i) the People’s Republic of China, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, is threatening Canada’s national interest and our values, including Canadians of Chinese origin within Canada’s borders, (ii) it is essential that Canada have a strong and principled foreign policy backed by action in concert with its allies, the House call upon the government to: (a) make a decision on Huawei’s involvement in Canada’s 5G network within 30 days of the adoption of this motion; and (b) develop a robust plan, as Australia has done, to combat China’s growing foreign operations here in Canada and its increasing intimidation of Canadians living in Canada, and table it within 30 days of the adoption of this motion.”

Although the vote has not yet occurred in the House of Commons at the time of my writing, early indications are that this motion will also be supported by the NDP and Bloc Québécois.

My question this week: How would you vote on the Conservative opposition day motion?

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

Last week, with so much Canadian media attention focused on the American election, many events in Ottawa did not receive the headlines they might have.

The increasing lack of transparency we are experiencing from this Trudeau Liberal government, that promised it would be “open by default”, is a growing concern of mine.

I will provide some examples.

Last week Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), released several reports. 

One of these reports was an assessment on how much the Liberal Government's pay equity program would actually cost.

This program aims to level out pay disparities between men and women in the public service.

I will quote directly from the PBO: 

"The PBO requested the Government’s fiscal analysis of how much more money is expected to be spent to comply with the legislation. However, the Government refused to share this data."

This is alarming.

The PBO has suggested the federal wage bill costs could rise by $477 million starting in 2023-24.

The PBO also reported that the Finance Department had provided a 

“thorough public accounting every other week until August, but that practice ended when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament.”

Since the PM appointed a new Finance Minister, there have been no financial reports made available to the PBO, or to Canadians for that matter.

Yet another example occurred back on June 3, 2020.

In my former portfolio, as the shadow cabinet critic for employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, I asked if the Minister could please tell us the current balance of the EI account.

Despite the Minister promising this information as of this week, it has still not been made available. 

This is very troubling as the EI account belongs to workers and the EI premiums paid must be sustainable. 

Considering so many Canadians pay into the EI fund with every pay cheque, why will this government not tell Canadians the balance of the EI account?

When this Prime Minister was elected, he wrote an open letter to Canadians where he;

“committed to set a higher bar for openness and transparency in Ottawa. Government and its information must be open by default. Simply put, it is time to shine more light on government to make sure it remains focused on the people it was created to serve.”

In reality we are witnessing a Liberal Government that refuses to provide critical information to the Parliamentary Budget Officer and to other Members of Parliament.  

To this day several Parliamentary Committees continue to be filibustered by Liberal MP's.

We gone through the longest period in Canadian history without a federal budget being presented.

A budget that is a necessary economic plan to get us through these challenging times.

My question this week: 

Are you concerned by this growing lack of transparency from this Liberal government? 

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

​One of the oldest tactics of government is to release potentially unpopular or embarrassing information late on a Friday afternoon. 

This was a tactic to attempt to avoid the daily Monday-Friday print media cycle in the hopes that by Monday, different stories might take up the headlines.

In the days of social media, and the widespread use of the internet, governments have had to become more innovative in how they release information that may be unpopular or embarrassing.

Case in point on Tuesday, when many Canadians were closely watching the USA election unfold, the Trudeau Liberal Government released the details of their proposed Bill C-10 -- “An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act”.

For those who subscribe to streaming services such as Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, and other non-Canadian based streaming services, this bill may be of interest to you.

Bill C-10 proposes that these non-Canadian online streaming services be forced to “contribute to the creation, production, and distribution of Canadian music and stories.”

The Liberal Government has suggested this could result in these streaming companies paying as much as $880 million into what the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decides is "approved content" within this mandate.

For critics this raises a few notable concerns.

Many believe that consumers should have the choice to decide what shows and music they subscribe to and download, not content forced onto them by the CRTC.

Many have also predicted any costs, above and beyond what is already invested into creating Canadian content, will simply be passed onto to consumers in the form of higher fees.

Another path streaming companies could take, instead of charging more, is to offer less content.

Rather than fund newly mandated Canadian content, some platforms may respond to new regulations by simply dropping their amount of total content available to stream, in order to artificially raise their amount of Canadian content. 

Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is reported as saying he does not expect that forcing streaming services to pay as much as $880 million annually to support this mandatory content will lead to higher subscription costs or potentially less content for customers.

So who does the Minister believe will pay?

Supporters of this bill point out that Canadian based companies providing these types of services are already forced to comply with this Canadian content requirement, as dictated by the CRTC, and argue this simply levels the playing field.

My question this week:

Do you support the CRTC dictating to online streaming companies, such as Netflix, how much mandatory Canadian content they must offer at the expense of Canadian consumers?

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

​Each week when the House of Commons is in session, I attempt to provide an overview on some of the events going on within the House.
 
Sometimes MPs will know well in advance what matters will be coming before the House and other times, often when bills or motions are introduced, it may well be a surprise.
 
The latter was this week when the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Mr. Yves-François Blanchet, introduced the following opposition day motion: 
 
“That the House demand an official apology from the Prime Minister on behalf of the Government of Canada for the enactment, on October 16, 1970, of the War Measures Act and the use of the army against Quebec’s civilian population to arbitrarily arrest, detain without charge and intimidate nearly 500 innocent Quebeckers.”
 
I am not suggesting that this is not an important subject for a debate- it was a controversial event- however I will admit that I was surprised as there are so many very concerning issues arising from this pandemic.

With COVID-19 cases rising in Quebec, Ontario and even B.C., there are more challenges for small businesses, persons with disabilities and families, so it surprised me that the Bloc would choose now to debate an issue that happened half a century ago.
 
An example of this is a recent report released this week from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that raises some very troubling concerns regarding the mental health and well being of Canadians during this pandemic.
 
Here in B.C., there have been over 100 deaths from toxic drugs for six consecutive months.

Once the CERB benefit began to be paid out monthly, deaths increased to 175 in May, June and July, according to the data compiled by PHAC.
 
Parents, friends, family members, advocates and those working in areas that support vulnerable and at-risk citizens, have spoken out publicly of the harm that CERB support payments have caused to those fighting addictions.
 
At the same time, we must also recognize that many Canadians have also increased their use of alcohol, cannabis and tobacco during this pandemic.
 
Surveys from Statistics Canada indicate that alcohol consumption has increased up to 19%, cannabis use is up over 8% and tobacco smoking rates also went up by close to 4% over pre-pandemic levels.
 
This week Statistics Canada also revealed that between March-July the number of businesses closing exceeded the number either opening or re-opening by 82,000.
 
For many Canadians, these are clearly very stressful times.

I believe we must recognize that our current approach in dealing with COVID has created challenges to the mental well being of many citizens.
 
To date, both the provincial and federal governments have been focusing on the many efforts being undertaken to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
However, there have not been many opportunities for you to comment on how you feel about your governments response to COVID-19.
 
So my question this week:

How do you feel about the federal government response to COVID-19 thus far?

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

​As I write this week’s report we are currently in a tense situation in Ottawa as there is a serious threat of a possible fall election.

This raises the obvious question, how did we get to this point?

As many will know over the summer months many disturbing details emerged as a result of the Trudeau Liberal Government giving the WE Charity foundation a sole-sourced contract in excess of $500 Million.

The fallout included the Prime Minister apologizing, multiple ethics investigations being launched and finally the departure of Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

There were also several parliamentary committees sitting and hearing evidence on the details how it was that the WE Charity foundation received a sole-sourced contract in excess of $500 Million.

In August, despite the fact that the House of Commons was already adjourned until September 21, the Prime Minister broke his promise to never use prorogation and prorogued Parliament until September 23rd in order to shut these committees down.

Now that Parliament has resumed, these same Parliamentary committees have attempted to resume hearing this evidence but were unable to do so as the Liberal members filibustered them.

In order to avoid the filibustering, the Conservative opposition used an opposition day motion in the House of Commons to propose that a new Parliamentary Committee be created, that would not be chaired by a Liberal MP, and would reflect the minority status of this Liberal Government.

Although this motion was initially supported by the NDP and Bloc Québécois opposition parties, the Trudeau Liberal Government declared it a confidence motion. 

This means that if the motion was to pass, the Government would fall and trigger an election.

To be clear, both the Leader of the Conservatives as well as the Leader of the NDP have stated it is not their intention to provoke an election.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister is so determined to prevent the WE information from being further studied at any Parliamentary committee, he would rather call an election. 

This raises the obvious question as to what may be hiding in the redacted documents and other unknown details.

The Prime Minister has argued that this motion is by default an expression of a lack of confidence in his Liberal Government as justification for declaring this a confidence vote.

The Prime Minister is wrong.

Until Canadians have all the information how can anyone determine if they have confidence or do not have confidence in this situation?

The entire point of creating a committee would be to learn the facts so that Canadians can have an informed view on what really transpired.

However the Prime Minister at the moment is determined to prevent that from occurring.

Will this lead to an election? 

At the moment there is considerable negotiating going on and I am hopeful the Prime Minister will back down.

The PM may not like a Parliamentary Committee studying the actions of his government however Canadians elected a minority government for a reason and the PM must respect that.

My question this week:

What are your thoughts on a possible fall election? 

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

One of the challenges for any government is what is referred to as “getting your message out”.

For example, with so many different media stories in circulation last week, the announcement regarding the potential ban of certain single use plastics may have been missed.

What was announced?

In summary, a list of plastic items that the government hopes to ban by the end of 2021.

What is on the current list?

The following plastic items:

• Grocery store bags
• Straws 
• Coffee stir sticks
• Six-pack can holding rings
• Plastic cutlery
• Certain food takeout containers if they are made from hard-to-recycle plastics.

​As is often the case with most government announcements, concerns have already been raised.

In order to legally facilitate this ban, the government has suggested it will add these plastics to the “toxic substances list” that exists under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Unfortunately, the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada has pointed out that these types of plastics are not toxically harmful in the same manner that substances such as mercury, asbestos and lead are.

This creates a challenge for the government with the classification.

Another concern that has been raised stems from trade related issues.

An outright ban on these plastics may contradict principles of the recently renegotiated NAFTA deal, now frequently referred to as the CUSMA (Canada United States Mexico Agreement).

There is some debate on the legitimacy of these trade related concerns, however it is clear that some consultation will be required.

The broader level of concern being heard more from a local level is understandably from the food and beverage industries and more so given that there is currently a pandemic and we are currently witnessing a greater public safety related reliance on single use plastics compared to more normal times.

It has also been communicated to me that, during a crisis, single use plastic may be necessary in a range of areas, from seniors care homes to helping to feed wildfire firefighters and other emergency responders.

It is critically important that alternatives to single use plastics are readily and affordably available considering there will be a significant uptake in demand.

As many of these alternatives will likely be made from wood or cardboard, I see a long-term economic benefit to parts of my riding, and to British Columbia in general, given that our forest industry could play an active role in this.

Consultation will be important, as will a timeline that respects the pandemic and the ability for alternative products to become readily available.

My question this week:

What are your thoughts on this proposed ban of single use plastics?

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

With Prime Minister Trudeau having prorogued Parliament, a situation was created where the government must now start over in submitting bills and legislation through the House of Commons. 

This is also an important process because it indicates what the government views as important priorities for Canadians.

This week the government tabled two new bills into the House of Commons.

Bill C-6 'An Act to amend the Criminal Code (to ban conversion therapy)' and,

Bill C-7 'An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying).'

Bill C-6 defines conversion therapy as therapy that “aims to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual, to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviours, or to change an individual’s gender identity to match the sex they were assigned at birth.”

This bill proposes five new criminal code offences that include: “causing a minor to undergo conversion therapy, removing a minor from Canada to undergo conversion therapy abroad, causing a person to undergo conversion therapy against their will, profiting from providing conversion therapy and advertising an offer to provide conversion therapy”.

Bill C-7 has come about after a Quebec court ruled that the, previously passed into law, medically assisted dying legislation was unconstitutional because it is too restrictive. 

More specifically the requirement that only people who are facing "foreseeable death" can receive aid to die is considered to narrow of a criteria.

It has also been argued this can lead to a situation where there is additional pain and suffering.

The new bill proposes several changes, some of those include: removing the requirement for a person’s natural death to be reasonably foreseeable in order to be eligible for medical assistance in dying.

It is also proposed to introduce “a two-track approach to procedural safeguards based on whether or not a person’s natural death is reasonably foreseeable.”

At the same time it is proposed that “existing safeguards will be maintained and certain ones will be eased for eligible persons whose death is reasonably foreseeable.”

There will be “new and modified safeguards will be introduced for eligible persons whose death is not reasonably foreseeable”.

I should add that it is the intent of the new proposed legislation to exclude eligibility for individuals who suffering solely from mental illness.

In addition, there will be some proposed changes to the waiver process.

My question this week:

What are the priorities you would like to see coming forward in Parliament?

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

I delayed writing this week’s report slightly in order to share my thoughts on the Liberal Government’s throne speech that was announced Wednesday. 

Afterwards the Prime Minister was scheduled to address Canadians on television and my report this week was written prior to that television event occurring.

For those unfamiliar with what a throne speech is, here is the definition from the House of Commons:

“The Speech from the Throne usually sets forth in some detail the government’s view of the condition of the country and provides an indication of what legislation it intends to bring forward.”

The challenge with today’s throne speech is that it takes many previous promises made by Prime Minister Trudeau, that ultimately became broken promises, only to be promised yet again.

I will give some specific examples of this.

In this throne speech the PM promises “the Government will immediately bring forward a plan to exceed Canada’s 2030 climate goal.”

This government has for, five years now, been making this promise and yet GHG emissions only continue to rise.

Once again a promise is made that does not reconcile with previous Trudeau Liberal policy decisions, that include giving a 95.5% carbon tax discount on coal power in New Brunswick.

Another promise is “the Government will accelerate the connectivity timelines and ambitions of the Universal Broadband Fund to ensure that all Canadians, no matter where they live, have access to high-speed internet.”

The Liberals have also been making this promise for five years now and there are still many areas of Central-Okanagan-Similkameen Nicola that do not even have a wireless cellular signal let alone high speed internet.

​There has been literally no progress in these areas.

Some will recall during the election last year, the Prime Minister promised a twenty five percent reduction on cellular phone bills.

Another lofty, but to date, unfulfilled promise.

These are a few examples of promises made from Prime Minister Trudeau.

Why am I critical of this?

To use an analogy, a session of Parliament is not unlike a dinner plate.

There is only so much room to load up on food.

If far too much food is loaded onto the plate, only so much can be eaten, and the rest is thrown away.

If you have ever been served an overloaded plate of food, odds are you will pick and prioritize the items your prefer and invariably decide what items are left behind.

This is why prioritizing is critically important when a government sets its legislative agenda to get bills through the house.

At Trudeau’s cabinet table are many of the same individuals who failed to deliver on these very same promises over the past five years when this Liberal government enjoyed a majority.

To repackage many of these same, now broken, promises and add news ones is simply not credible, given the track record of this Liberal government. 

What falls off the table remains to be seen.

My question this week:

Do you prefer a throne speech that realistically advances an agenda that can potentially move through the House or the current Liberal government approach that, while ambitious, will, as history demonstrates, result in more broken promises.

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

​My apologies in advance, my report for this week may not be of interest to many of you.

If you do not operate a VHF radio, most often found in marine applications, chances are this report will be of little concern.

For those who do operate a VHF radio you will no doubt be well aware that for many decades now, Environment Canada has broadcast active weather reports to VHF radio users 24/7 365 days a year.

These reports can all include severe weather warnings including small craft advisories.

Here in the Okanagan region, there are transmitters that ensure Penticton, Summerland, Lake Country, Vernon, Peachland, Kelowna, Lumby and Douglas Lake can receive these VHF radio reports.

This service is also provided across Canada via 230 Weather Radio Canada transmitters.

Currently Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is soliciting feedback on the possible decommissioning of 48 of these 230  transmitters.

The entire Okanagan VHF weather transmitter network is on the list of the potential 48 to be decommissioned, meaning this service would no longer be available in our region.

Other regions in B.C. potentially losing the same VHF weather service include Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley region along with the Kamloops area and will also affect people in Logan Lake.

Obviously much of this weather information can also be obtained through a smart phone, however it should be noted that there are still many areas in our region that do not have a wireless signal available.

I am told this is also a concern for outdoor enthusiasts who use this VHF weather information when engaging in back country activities. 

Currently this potential decommissioning proposal is one that Environment Canada is seeking input on.

For those impacted by this potential policy, you can contact Environment Canada directly by email at ec.radio.ec@canada.ca or by phone 1-877-789-7733.

My question this week:

 Are you concerned over the potential loss of VHF active weather service in the interior of B.C.?

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

​This week the new Official Opposition leader, the Honourable Erin O’Toole, announced his appointments to serve as his shadow cabinet critics.
 
I have been honoured to be named as the Shadow Minister for Environment & Climate Change.

This new role is of great interest to me as it relates well to our region in Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola.
 
As we all know, living in the Okanagan region over the past decade, we have all witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of flooding as our climate changes.
 
The “once in 200 year” flood has come and gone twice in recent years.

It is not uncommon to see temperature records being broken on any given day. 
 
The added heat and tinder dry forests can create wildfires of a size and scope rarely before seen.
 
These conditions, as we are again experiencing this week, can become so severe that air quality is seriously compromised.
 
However we also have other important challenges to be aware of.

We know that in many regions of Canada there are vulnerable species are at risk.

Here in B.C., the Mountain Caribou is a prime example of this.
 
We are also very aware of the ongoing threat of aquatic invasive species to our freshwater lakes, particularly here in the Okanagan, remains a serious problem, from freshwater Zebra and Quagga mussels.
 
All of these challenges require federal leadership as well as partnerships with provincial and local governments including First Nation communities.
 
I am looking forward to working with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, who is also from British Columbia.
 
My intent is to focus more on areas where we can agree and to spend less time debating areas of disagreement.
 
I believe that Canadians expect us to get to work to produce results.

All to often results in this area get lost in endless debate and lofty promises. 
 
I look forward to this new challenge and working with our great team of talented and hardworking MP's in Ottawa.
 
My question this week:

From your own views on the environment and climate change, what are your top concerns?
 
I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711. 

​In my November 2018 MP report, I focused on newly discovered revelations that Statistics Canada was “demanding access to certain Canadians personal financial and banking information, including all transactions along with bank account balances without citizens’ consent or even notification that this is going on”.

At that time, I raised this issue in the House of Commons and no surprise, Prime Minister Trudeau fully supported this effort by a government agency to take your personal financial information without your consent or even knowledge.

Later, at the Industry Committee, the minister responsible for Statistics Canada admitted that he had not been made aware of this program nor had he signed off on it, as is required under legislation.

After the Privacy Commissioner announced that he would launch a formal investigation into these proposed actions from Statistics Canada, the project was put on hold.

Why do I mention this incident today?

Earlier this week, Blacklock’s Reporter in Ottawa found a Canada Revenue Agency, Labour Board hearing disclosure, that "admits criminals infiltrated its (CRA) databases.

A CRA employee became "romantically involved with a biker gang member and used her access to give the gang personal information about their debtors & their lawyers.”

This information is not likely to impact the average Canadian.

I raise it because it reveals the extent that your personal information, within various departments at the Government of Canada, is not as secure as it should be.

It was also announced: “A proposed class action has been filed against the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), accusing both the agency and the federal government of negligence and breach of privacy over the recent data breach incidents”. 

This lawsuit alleges that “several failings by the government and the CRA allowed at least three cyber attacks to take place”.

In turn this theft of personal identification can result in fraudulent CERB applications being made, that can adversely impact the citizens who had their personal data stolen.

What greatly troubles me is that the Prime Minister has essentially been silent on this.

There has been no ministerial accountability. 

In effect the PM and his cabinet effectively shrug this off and expect Canadians to accept this.

I have two questions this week:

Do you believe there should be ministerial accountability from the Prime Minister when your personal information is compromised?

Do you believe that someone should be held accountable?

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

​I am writing this week’s report from Ottawa as this is the week the House of Commons special COVID-19 Committee was scheduled to sit and we would have the opportunity to hold the Government to account.

Unfortunately, despite promising that he would not prorogue the House of Commons, Prime Minister Trudeau did precisely that and this week's sitting was adjourned.

Worse is the fact that the house does not sit again until the end of September.

Why is this a problem?

Last week the Prime Minister announced that the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) would be coming to an end in September and that the regular EI system along with three new benefits.

For instance, for those currently on CERB that are not EI eligible and cannot find work, they could apply for a $400/week benefit, or $500/ week if they have dependents.

While these new benefits must be debated and approved before they can be delivered, the government’s estimates these changes will cost Canadian taxpayers $37 billion.

Despite this announcement, there are still many unanswered questions.  

One example is many new and expecting parents have been sidelined by COVID-19 and unable to access parental leave.

This has left many without any parental supports during the pandemic.

Despite Parliament passing legislation that would allow this issue to be fixed by the Minister responsible, it has taken months of questioning by opposition members like myself, with government promising but yet failing to fix the problem.

Now, as part of this announcement, those seeking parental leave will only need 120 insurable hours instead of 600 hours- which should take effect at the end of September.

While the government has said this will be retroactive, this change comes very late.

There are also questions raised about new eligibility requirements.

In the case of an individual who only works full time for 3 weeks and accumulates 120 hours, they could potentially be eligible for 6 and ½ months of EI under one of the new programs.

How sustainable this is, in relation to the current EI premiums paid by workers, is an unanswered but important question.

In fact, as the Opposition shadow critic for this portfolio, I have repeatedly asked for the status of the EI account, however the Minister responsible refuses to provide an answer.

This is deeply concerning as the EI account belongs to workers.

There is no reason for the Minister to refuse to tell Canadians workers, who pay EI premiums, what the status of the EI account is.

It has generally been my experience that when this Liberal Government refuses to disclose information it is because that information often does not reflect well on the government’s management of your money.

This leads to my question this week: 

Do you believe it is acceptable for this Liberal Government to refuse to publicly post the current status of Canada’s EI account?
 
I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.

​As you may have heard this week the Prime Minister asked the Governor General to prorogue the House of Commons.

What does this mean? 

Prorogation is a parliamentary procedure where the current session of Parliament is ended.

This is done by a proclamation of the Governor General, at the request of the Prime Minister.

What happens next? 

The PM announced the date that the second session of the 43rd Parliament will begin is set for Wednesday, September 23rd.

There will be a throne speech, as is the custom of a new session of Parliament, and ultimately a confidence vote following that throne speech. In a minority Parliament that could potentially result in an election. 

Why request prorogation? 

Although there can be a variety of different reasons, the most common is for the government to outline a new or different direction.

Certainly, that is what Prime Minister Trudeau has indicated in this case.

While it makes sense that the government would want to outline a new direction in a throne speech, there is one other serious consideration that cannot be ignored.

With the exception of a one day sitting of the COVID Committee next Wednesday August 26th, the House of Commons was already adjourned until Monday, September 21st.

So why prorogue the House of Commons when it is already adjourned? 

The answer is the fact that several parliamentary committees were sitting and hearing evidence on the details that resulted in WE Charity foundation receiving a sole-sourced contract in excess of $500 Million.

Having read much of the evidence from these meetings, a clear pattern was emerging where details from witnesses would directly contradict what the Prime Minister had previously and publicly stated on the record.

As one example, the PM stated that when he first heard of the proposed WE Charity’s contribution agreement on May 8th, he “pushed back” and instructed the public service to do more “due diligence” before cabinet actually approved the agreement on May 28th.

However, at the Finance Committee, the Assistant Deputy Minister developing the program stated that "We entered into a negotiation of a contribution agreement with WE Charity in mid-May".

Clearly there was no evidence of any “push back” as the PM stated but rather there was a rush to get the sole-sourced contract completed. 

Now that the Prime Minister has prorogued Parliament, “no committee can sit during a prorogation."

This means that the Prime Minister has shut down the very committees who were studying and uncovering evidence on the WE contribution agreement that was contrary what the PM had said publicly.

It should also be pointed out that in 2015, the Prime Minister made a promise that his Liberal Government would never use prorogation to escape scrutiny.

My question this week:

Do you agree with the Prime Minister proroguing Parliament and shutting down these committees?

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

Back in May of 2020 the Trudeau Liberal Government announced their preference of four summer sittings of the House of Commons 'special COVID committee'.
These sittings were set in advance to occur on July 8, July 22, August 12 and August 26.

Many MP's and party leaders planned their schedules in order to participate on these days. 
As an example, this week I am in Ottawa where I was able to ask several questions to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
Unfortunately the Prime Minister planned his schedule to be away on this week's sitting and as such, could not be held accountable.
There are so many important questions right now. 
One asked by an NDP MP was: "How can Canadians currently receiving CERB plan for the transition to EI at the end of the month when it is just weeks away and they have no idea what the details will be?"
Unfortunately, the minister advised they are not in a position to provide any details until “next week." 

Next week is less than two weeks from the ending of the CERB benefit. 
If a citizen currently collecting CERB will end up receiving less funds on EI, this is something they will need to budget for.
I asked a number of questions including the challenge facing many expectant mothers who because of COVID were just short of accumulating the required hours to be eligible for the Canada maternity benefit.
Unfortunately, the minister was also unable to answer this question.
Also occurring this week, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois,Yves-Francois Blanchet, has demanded that that “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his finance minister and his (The Prime Minister’s) chief of staff resign.”
Mr. Blanchet has taken issue with details of the WE Charity contract as well as revelations the administration of the commercial rent relief program that went to a company where the husband of the PM’s Chief of Staff is employed as a senior executive. 
In order to carry out his threat, Mr. Blanchet indicated that the BLOC will table a confidence motion against the Trudeau Liberal Government this fall.
The only way such a motion could pass is if all three opposition parties, the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and Conservatives voted in favour.
Generally speaking, this is how many minority governments ultimately fall.

My question this week relates to this potential non-confidence motion.
In the event the Bloc Québécois was to table a non-confidence vote in the Trudeau Liberal Government that could potentially trigger a fall election, would you vote in favour or against?
I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.

​There are times, despite efforts to the contrary, that government at all levels end up running into situations where there is a “no-win” scenario.

Case in point, recently the Trudeau Liberal government announced a federal application (or ‘app’) for smart phones, designed to assist in COVID-19 contact tracing.

This app utilizes Bluetooth technology to exchange random phone codes whenever you are in close proximity to other users who are utilizing the same app on their cell phone.  

In the event one of these users has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, all other app users who were in proximity to this individual can receive a confirmation alert.

In order to satisfy individual privacy concerns the app does not use GPS tracking, nor does it record your identity or any of your personal identification. 

Currently this app is fully functional for the purposes of contract tracing in the Province of Ontario however it is my understanding that it will be coming to more provinces in the future. 

There have been some criticisms of the app, largely around the fact it is only compatible with smart phones that are not older than five years and also have the latest operating systems from Apple or Android installed. 

This leaves those with older devices, as well as those who do not use smart phones at all, out in the cold. 

It may turn out that some will be unaware that the app does not work with their existing phone, only to become surprised when it becomes clear that it will not operate on their device.

The bottom line here is the app is not perfect. 

From my perspective the government deserves credit for taking an innovative approach that has been successfully used in other jurisdictions. 

As with most technological approaches to public policy issues, it is only over time where further refining and enhancements of the technology can lead to widespread adoption and better results. 

I have written to the Privacy Commissioner in regard to this and his office has created a privacy framework for reviewing any Government of Canada contact tracing app.

Recently Daniel Therrien, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, stated that “Canadians can opt to use this technology knowing it includes very significant privacy protections," adding “I will use it.” 

After having done the research for this report and given my work involves a lot of travel and meeting various people at different kinds of Parliamentary meetings, I have chosen to install the app.

My question this week is:

Have you or would you download the Canada COVID-19 alert app on your handheld device?

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

While it would be relatively easy this week to cover the latest developments of the WE Charity Foundation, as they unfold at the Finance Committee, I would rather focus on outcomes of government policies.

More specifically when former Conservative Finance Minister, the late Jim Flaherty, created a very important policy to the Similkameen and Okanagan Valleys.

​On July 1st in 2006, Minister Flaherty announced that wines that were produced in Canada, with 100% Canadian grown grapes, would be fully exempt from paying the federal excise tax on alcohol.

This was a policy that, according to Wine Growers of Canada President Dan Paszkowski, has “resulted in more than 400 new wineries and 40 million litres of new wine sales. The annual economic impact of this growth is $4.4 billion annually. Now that was a smart federal program with a solid ROI”.

Here in the Okanagan, we have all witnessed many wineries and resulting spin off business emerge throughout literally every community. 

Flash forward to 2017, the Trudeau Liberal Government introduced a permanent measure to create an “escalator excise tax” in that year’s federal budget.

What is an escalator excise tax?

As I explained in my June 21st, 2017 MP Report, it is a tax that “would be levied on most wine, beer and spirits sold in Canada. Under an escalator tax essentially the tax rate is increased every year and is set by civil servants linked to inflation as opposed to having to come before the House for debate in the annual budget.”

As the Conservative opposition at that time, we opposed this tax.

Unfortunately, Australia, a country that exports a significant amount of wine into Canada, filed a trade challenge with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over this policy.

The reason is that the Trudeau escalator tax would increase the cost of Australian wine to Canadian consumers every year however, 100% Canadian grown and produced wines would be exempt.

This week it was quietly announced that the Trudeau Liberal government will, over the course of the next two years, remove the excise exemption for 100% Canadian grown and produced wines thus increasing their costs.

How this will impact our local wineries here in the Okanagan and elsewhere at this point remains unknown.

One of the challenges is B.C. wineries already pay a significant amount of taxes to local, provincial and federal governments, that competing wines outside of Canada do not pay.

There is also the added test that currently only three Canadian provinces allow winery to consumer shipping directly from outside of the home province.

With restaurants generally purchasing less wine on account of reduced hours and capacity, these are now tough times for an important local industry to our region.

Ironically with wines sales being reduced, the considerable amount of excise and sales tax on wine is also reduced, thus netting less government revenue in these areas.

My question this week comes back to the escalator tax:

Do you support a tax automatically increasing each year, set in legislation, as opposed to being fixed and reviewed each year in a budget?

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