​
This week my Summerland office was visited by an individual living on a fixed income who is very concerned about being unable to afford the monthly gas bill. 
 
This individual also questioned why the carbon tax on the monthly gas bill was higher than the actual commodity cost of the gas used. 

It was also asked, with the temperatures dropping below freezing this week throughout the Okanagan, “why was the (Provincial) NDP Government punishing citizens and cashing in on extra carbon tax revenue while people try to keep the pipes from freezing and try to stay warm”.

Fair questions.
 
Part of the answer to this question is due to the federal Liberal Government carbon tax plan. 
 
British Columbia, signed onto this Trudeau Liberal plan, that calls for an annual increase of carbon taxes to $50 a tonne by 2022.

In B.C. there is a “Climate Action Tax Credit” meant to help offset these costs however the maximum payable to an individual is only $11.25 a month and the income threshold is $35,000 before a 2% penalty deduction is taken from that $11.25 a month. 

In this case the individual’s monthly carbon tax on gas alone is higher than the climate rebate and with a net income of just over $41,000, the monthly climate rebate is reduced to just 54 cents.

Meanwhile in the House of Commons on Tuesday, during question period, Prime Minister Trudeau stated, and I quote: “low-income families do not benefit from tax breaks because they do not pay taxes.”

This was a remarkably untrue statement from the Prime Minister. 
 
Currently a Canadian earning over $12,000 or more is, as we all know, paying federal income tax. 
 
In fact the current federal income tax rate for citizens earning up $46,505 is taxed at a rate of 15%.

Also a fact, when the Liberal Government came into power in 2015,the low income tax rate was left unchanged. 
 
It was citizens earning currently between $46,605 up to $93,208 that received the 1.5% tax cut.

In addition to paying income tax, low income citizens also pay GST, PST here in BC, carbon tax, provincial income taxes (after a certain threshold) as well as other government fees and charges and property taxes, if they own a residence.

The suggestion by the Prime Minister that lower income citizens do not pay taxes is patently false and I am hopeful the Prime Minister will clarify that and apologize to those lower income taxpayers who deserve to be acknowledged for paying their fair share. 

My question this week relates to the carbon tax. 
 
Does it seem fair that government carbon tax revenues will increase solely due to sub-zero temperatures, because citizens are forced to increase their use of energy to keep warm?

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

​If you follow virtually any Canadian news source you have likely heard about the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. 

Recently I was asked why there was so much media reporting about Huawei.

The answer is not a simple one. 

Huawei is a world leading technology company that among other activities produces hardware such as servers and other technologies that enable 5G wireless networks. 

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

Although Huawei is not the only company that manufactures 5G devices, it is the most controversial. 

Currently many of Canada’s allies including the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have all banned Huawei citing security concerns. 

Currently other countries, including Canada, are reviewing the status of Huawei. 

One of the concerns is that a new law in China requires any domestic firm to assist the Chinese government when requested to do so. 

Another concern is allegations that Huawei has circumvented trade sanctions against countries such as Iran and North Korea.

It is based on these types of allegations that the United States has requested that Canada arrest Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver for extradition to the United States where she will face charges such as bank fraud, obstruction of justice and theft of technology from the United States Justice Department.

In a response that many believe is related to this action several Canadians in China have now been imprisoned in some cases under very questionable circumstances. 

The situation has become very complicated diplomatically as Prime Minister Trudeau was forced to fire John McCallum, the former Liberal cabinet Minister that Mr. Trudeau had appointed to be Canada’s Ambassador to China. 

It should be noted that Huawei denies accusations of corporate espionage and spying; that said the Polish government recently arrested a Huawei employee on spying charges. 

The Czech government has also warned their citizens against using Huawei equipment for security reasons.

China has also warned Canada that there will be consequences to Canada if Huawei is banned. 

Conservatives believe 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. 

To date the Liberal Government continues to state that it is reviewing this situation with no decision yet being made. 

My question this week: 

Do you agree that Huawei should be banned from participating in the 5G network in Canada?

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

This week, the newly updated Canada Food Guide was released

The previous guide had been unchanged for 12 years. 

The new food guide takes a very different approach than the previous versions did.

Foods are no longer categorized into groups such as ‘dairy’ or ‘meat’ and terms such as ‘beef’ have been replaced by the term ‘protein’.

Suggested serving sizes have also been eliminated and instead the guide advises “notice when you are hungry and when you are full.”

The new guide also recommends more plant based food consumption including an effort to avoid saturated fat, sugars and sodium where possible.

Although some disagree with the approach, overall I believe this promotes healthier eating habits. 

What is new is that guide also makes recommendations on how you should eat and provides some other interesting suggestions.

“Grow, harvest, fish, hunt and prepare food in traditional ways.” is one such recommendation that may be more challenging for those living in urban centres.

There is also the recommendation to drink more water. 

The food guide even provides helpful information that you can drink water “hot or cold” and that you can “drink water with your meals”, in the event you were unaware of that tidbit.

If you are shopping, the guide recommends you “shop for sales” and “check out flyers and coupons” because this can make food shopping more affordable, also in the event you were unaware of that fact.

Other recommendations are to cook more meals at home and to be aware of “food marketing”. 
The guide suggests that being aware of food marketing can help you “question why you want to purchase a certain food or drink”.

Overall, while I believe the new food guide is well intended and promotes a healthier diet, I do question if Canadians need to be advised on how to eat, shop and interpret food marketing.

My question this week:

Do you prefer a food guide the focuses on nutrition, portion sizes and diet or do you prefer the new direction with advice on how to eat, shop and more? 

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

​This is the final week the House of Commons will sit for 2018 before resuming in late January of 2019. 

This week will also be the last time the current 42nd Parliament will sit in original House of Commons for at least 10 years. 

How will this impact our Canadian Parliament? 

First, a little background.

Although the House of Commons and the Peace Tower have become an internationally  recognized landmark, there are actually three buildings on Parliament Hill. 

What many Canadians refer to as the “House of Commons” is known as Centre Block.

It is called Centre Block because it is the centre building of the three large Victorian high gothic style buildings that form the core of the legislative precinct. 

The East Block building is located to the immediate east of Centre Block and connected by underground tunnel was built in 1866 and contained the original office of Sir John A. Macdonald.

The West Block building, you guessed it, is located to the west of Centre Block. It was closed in 2011 to undergo a large scale refit and renovation. 

Part of that renovation project included substantial modifications so that the House of Commons chamber could be relocated into West Block while the Centre Block building is renovated.

So when we return to Ottawa in January, we will call West Block home.

On a different subject, on December 18th, Canada’s new impaired driving laws will come into effect, creating significant changes from current regulations.  

For example, police will be able to compel a driver provide an oral fluid sample on demand. 

This test can be used to determine THC level per millilitre (ml) of blood, not unlike current assessment related to blood alcohol content. 

There is also a new provision that will allow for mandatory roadside screening, even if an officer does not have a reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol use. 

Fines are also being increased to a $1000 minimum up to $2000 for first time offenders.

Repeat offenders can face jail time and possible prohibitions from driving. There are also legislative changes that can restrict some types of legal defence arguments for those facing impaired driver charges. 

For the most part I have heard strong support for these changes. 

However, some have stated opposition to mandatory roadside screening. 

Our current laws indicate that an officer must first have reasonable suspicion before requesting any roadside screening.

That will be my question for this week.

Do you support the requirement of “reasonable suspicion” being removed, as roadside screening will now become a mandatory requirement?

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

There are unusual things happening in Canada right now.

This week we learned that a song written in 1944, “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, will no longer be played during the holiday season by broadcasters such as CBC, Rogers and Bell media. 

Earlier this year, the City of Victoria removed the statue of John A. Macdonald in front of Victoria City Hall.

And soon I predict entering into Canada illegally from the United States to claim asylum will no longer be termed as "illegal".

It will instead become an “irregular entry”.

Why?

In early October, CBC reported that our Liberal Government quietly changed the Canadian immigration department website.

Where it once read “illegal crossings into Canada” it now reads “irregular crossing into Canada”.
The Liberal Government is also set to sign the UN Compact on Migration.

Part of the compact text, clause 33(c), reads: “educating media professionals on migration-related issues and terminology”.

In other words, this could be interpreted to mean reporting on irregular crossings into Canada is acceptable but reporting on “illegally crossing into Canada” may become unacceptable. 

How would this be enforced?

The UN Migration Compact is a non-binding agreement, however in Mr. Trudeau’s recent budget update,  a $595 million media subsidy fund was announced.

This media subsidy will inevitably have some terms and conditions that will be required to be met.

Possibly compliance with UN agreements could be one of them.

Canadians have always strongly supported legal immigration into Canada.

Many Canadians have endured a lengthy process, often considered to be “waiting in line” fairly, and following all of the rules and regulations.

​This is why crossing a border between official border crossings is illegal and not irregular.

While there are some provisions to ensure those in a life or death situation can cross a border, these cases are quite rare. 

Currently Canada has over 38,0000 people who have entered Canada illegally since January 2017 and this in turn has placed a huge backlog on the refugee process and taxes Provincial social services systems, such as is the case with Ontario and Quebec.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that illegal immigration, on average, costs taxpayers over $14,000 for each individual case. It is estimated over $340 million was spent in fiscal 2017-18 and the costs are expected to increase by another 400 million in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The costs paid by Provinces is not included in these figures.

Quebec has recently announced that it will accept nearly 8,000 fewer immigrants and refugees in 2019 compared to 2018.

These types of announcements impact all citizens trying to legally come to Canada who might desire to live in Quebec. 
From my perspective, supporting legal immigration is how one joins our Canadian family.

Suggesting that coming to Canada “irregularly” implies a very different meaning from entering illegally. 

I strongly support legal immigration as I believe all Canadians do. 
My question this week:

Do you believe that crossing a border between official border crossings is illegal or should it be termed as irregular?

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

During the 2015 election campaign Justin Trudeau made a promise, and I quote directly, "In 2019/20, we will balance the budget". 

Last Thursday the Liberal Government introduced a budget update that confirms this is yet another broken promise from Mr. Trudeau. 

The Liberal fall fiscal update announced that the annual federal budget deficit is projected to increase by nearly $2 billion to $19.6 billion next year.

The debt to GDP ratio that Mr. Trudeau had promised, and again I quote directly, “In 2019/20, we will reduce the federal debt-to-GDP ratio to 27 percent”  will actually hit 30.9%

Canada’s federal debt is projected to hit $688 billion in the current fiscal year and the most recent projections indicate that it will increase to $765 billion by 2023-2024.

Depending on interest rates the cost of servicing that level of debt would be roughly $34 billion a year.

To put $34 billion in debt service fees into perspective, the Government of Canada transferred just over $37 Billion to Canadian provinces and territories in fiscal 2017-18 to help provide for health care costs.

So where is the majority of this new spending going in the fall fiscal update?

As former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page has commented "We're deficit-financing the corporate sector,”.

The Liberals have introduced an accelerated tax write-off program allowing manufacturers to immediately recover the full cost of machinery and equipment.

The NDP have categorized this program as a $14 Billion “giveaway for Canada’s richest corporations, and offering nothing to Canadians who are struggling to make ends meet and facing record levels of household debt.”

To be fair to the Liberal Government, there are other measures announced in the fall fiscal update not related to the accelerated machinery and equipment write off.

One of those is a new $595 Million fund to subsidize some Canadian media organizations.

This particular announcement has raised serious concerns from many prominent journalists on the important role of journalistic independence from government.  

The Liberals have indicated they will appoint a panel to decide who is and who is not eligible for funding under this program.

From my perspective this raises concerns.

If a media organization is denied funding what recourse does it have?

Should it change the style or tone of reporting?

Cover different stories?

Hire a lobbyist?

The fact that the Liberals introduced this media subsidy in an election year raises many  more concerns.

​My question this week: 

Are you concerned by this government's introduction of an arbitrary media subsidy fund going into an election year?

I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-888-665-8711.

Last Friday evening I hosted a community town hall in West Kelowna.

I host these forums so that citizens can hold me to account and so I can hear what concerns are on people’s minds.

Often concerns raised locally may be very different from the major subjects of debate in Ottawa.

One such local concern, raised from a number of people, was the United Nations (UN) Migration Compact.

This is a subject that has received very little, if any attention in Ottawa.

What is the UN Migration compact? 

Technically it is called the “Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration”.

It is a 34 page agreement that contains 54 points under 23 stated objectives.

Created in July of 2018, it is scheduled for ratification from signatory countries, including Canada, in a meeting hosted by Morocco on December 10 and 11 of 2018.

Already this document has proven to be controversial.

Israeli PM Netanyahu asserted:

"Israel will not accede to, and will not sign, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. We are committed to guarding our borders against illegal migrants. This is what we have done and this is what we will continue to do."

It has been reported that the Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has said:

“Migration is not and cannot become a human right,” and that Austria would not be a signatory to this agreement. 

Countries such as Australia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and the United States have also stated they will not be signing the agreement.

Our Conservative Immigration Shadow Minister, MP Michelle Rempel, stated:

“By allowing nearly 38,000 people to enter Canada illegally from the safety of upstate New York then claim asylum, Trudeau has undermined the integrity of Canada’s borders. Canada’s borders should not be compromised by abuses of our asylum system, and should not sign this compact.”

The Liberal Minister for Immigration has co-authored a report that indicates Canada was actively involved in the drafting of the Compact and that “Canada is committed to the task of leading and encouraging other partners to realize its ambitious goals, to ensure that action breathes life into the words of the Compact.”

Supporters of the compact on migration contend “The UN’s global compact on refugees could be a game-changer—and Canada is well-placed to help make it a reality”. 

Critics are concerned that many countries, including Canada, currently have immigration systems that are not working well in dealing with illegal immigration and that the UN compact offers no technical solutions to this problem.

From my perspective it is worth noting that the UN compact on migration is a non-legally binding, cooperative framework of the signatory states.  

For those who would like to read the agreement it can be found here:

https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/files/180713_agreed_outcome_global_compact_for_migration.pdf

My question this week:

Considering this is a non-binding agreement, do you support or oppose Canada signing on to the UN Migration Compact?

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

In my late October MP report, I referenced the serious concerns I was hearing from citizens on breaking news that Statistics Canada is demanding access to certain Canadians’ personal financial and banking information, including all transactions along with bank account balances, without citizens’ consent.

Since that time Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and the Official Opposition have been able to ask Prime Minister Trudeau about these very serious concerns in the House of Commons. 

In response the Prime Minister has made it clear that he strongly supports Ottawa bureaucrats having access to your personal financial information.

The Prime Minister has also stated that Statistics Canada is actively engaged with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner on this file. 

There is a problem with that statement. 

The Privacy Commissioner has publicly stated that he had no idea Statistics Canada wanted data on 500,000 households, until Global News published these details.

Further, the Privacy Commissioner has also stated that Statistics Canada is falling “way short” of its stated objective of being transparent.

Why does this matter? 

Recently the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology had an opportunity to question the head of Statistics Canada on this program and learned some troubling new information.

Although initial reports suggested that 500,000 Canadians would be targeted annually, the actual number is 500,000 households. 

This means that everyone living within your family home would also be subject to having their personal financial information taken without their consent. 

Statistics Canada also admitted that it is intentionally taking more information than it believes is necessary. 

This means each year, 150,000 households more than necessary will have their financial data taken without consent.

Another troubling admission is that although Statistics Canada will “anonymize” your personal financial data, the agency also admitted that your original data, including your identity, will not be deleted and that if it is deemed necessary to reunify your data, Statistics Canada will retain the ability to do so.

When asked specifically why not delete this personal contact information, the agency did not provide an answer. 

We also learned that Statistics Canada can charge fees to private corporations for providing them with neighbourhood by neighbourhood aggregated data, however Statistics Data insists that this is not “selling” your data, but is recovering fees for service. 

I have had constituents share with me that they feel large companies, like Facebook and Amazon, already have a significant amount of private transactional and personal information as it is.

Currently Statistics Canada has claimed this pilot program to take your private financial data without your consent is on hold pending the investigation from the Privacy Commissioner.

This week the Globe and Mail reported that 74% of Canadians they surveyed are opposed to Statistics Canada taking their personal financial data without their consent. 

Locally I am hearing even higher levels of opposition.

The Trudeau Liberal Government remains strongly supportive of your private financial information being taken without your consent and has claimed that citizens’ concerns that are raised by both the Conservative and NDP opposition is simply “fear mongering”.

My question this week:  

Are you concerned about your financial information being taken without your consent and shared with Ottawa bureaucrats or do you believe this is all a case of fear mongering?

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

​This week there was more attention than usual on US politics as many watched the results of the US mid-term elections.

Closer to home in Washington State there also was a vote to implement a state carbon tax.

This vote was Initiative No. 1631 which proposed a carbon tax of $15/ton and was rejected with a majority 56% of roughly 2 million voters saying no.

This was the second time a Washington State carbon tax has been rejected by a majority of voters with the previous initiative being voted down in 2016.

Why does this matter to Canadians?

Here in BC, some of our industries compete with industries located in Washington State.

When an industry in a jurisdiction paying carbon taxes cannot compete with that same industry in another jurisdiction, not paying carbon taxes, there is a serious concern for economic harm and job losses.

This situation is called “carbon leakage”.

Carbon leakage is even referenced in the current BC NDP Provincial budget document.

Here is how “carbon leakage" is defined in that budget document:

“Industries that compete with industry in countries that may have low or no carbon price:

If Industry loses market share to more polluting competitors, known as carbon leakage, it affects our economy and does not reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.”

In Ottawa, the Trudeau Liberal Government has also acknowledged this same principle.

Liberal MP Sean Fraser, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, recently admitted that when it comes to big industrial emitters in “trade-exposed industries”, the Liberal Government has recently softened carbon tax on big polluters because in the absence of carbon tax relief the carbon tax could potentially have jobs leave and it will do nothing for emissions.

In New Brunswick, the Trudeau Liberal Government has given a 95.5% percent exemption on carbon tax that applies to coal fired power.

Coal power is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Atlantic Canada. The largest emitter is the Irving Oil refinery who imports oil from Countries that also do not have carbon taxes.

BC is also not immune from carbon tax exemptions.

As one example, despite the BC NDP Government signing onto the Trudeau national carbon tax, the new BC LNG investment will be exempt from the carbon tax increases called for in that agreement.

This is not an isolated incident where a polluting industry in BC has secured some form of carbon tax relief.

Why do I raise these points?

The challenge is that increasingly some of Canada’s largest polluters are being given exemptions from paying carbon tax.

These carbon tax exemptions seldom draw major national media headlines and many citizens are unaware they are occurring.

However for the average citizen and for small business owners there is no carbon tax relief.

Here in BC, more increases in carbon tax remain on the horizon.

My question this week is one of fairness.

With large scale polluters increasingly being given carbon tax relief, do you think it is fair that, here in BC, average citizens are being asked to pay more carbon tax?

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

Recently I have been overwhelmed by citizens asking what can be summarized by the following question:

“Is it true that Statistics Canada is 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?”.

When news of this potential sharing of your personal financial information with Ottawa bureaucrats first broke (full credit to Global News) the Official Opposition immediately began hearing very serious concerns, even outrage, from many Canadians.

This was similar to what occurred when it was announced the Liberal Government was going to claw back employee discounts and treat them as taxable benefits. 

In that case when the Official Opposition raised these concerns, the Liberals announced it was a policy directive that was not signed off by the Minister and would not go forward.

Our hopeful expectation was this might be a similar situation. 

Unfortunately in question period this week Prime Minister Trudeau has confirmed that he fully supports your personal banking information being shared with Ottawa bureaucrats without either your consent, or your knowledge.

The Prime Minister has stated that he believes your data will remain secure. The fact that you have not consented to your financial data being shared and that you will not be  notified that your banking information has been taken is perfectly acceptable and is something he supports.

On Thursday my opposition colleague MP Candice Bergen presented over 800 pages of government documents showing hundreds of incidents of privacy breaches affecting thousands of citizens over the past 19 months.

Fortunately on October 31st,  the Privacy Commissioner announced he will launch an formal investigation into these proposed actions from Statistics Canada.

In my view, this is not 1984. No government should be using Orwellian techniques to harvest your personal private banking information.

Your personal financial information belongs to you and you have a right to know when it is being accessed and for what purpose. 

The Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and our Official Opposition caucus do not support this Liberal supported assault on your personal financial privacy. 

My question this week is a simple one: 

Do you? 

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

  

​This week you may have seen or heard media reports regarding a carbon tax rebate plan announced by the Trudeau Liberal Government.

What is this new carbon tax rebate plan?

The Federal Liberal Government has mandated a national carbon tax to be implemented across Canada allowing individual Provinces and Territories some flexibility to set the parameters of how this carbon tax program will be implemented.

As an example, here in British Columbia, a carbon tax has been in place since 2008. The Provincial NDP Government has announced it will continue to increase this carbon tax to meet the federal standard set by Prime Minister Trudeau.

Other provinces, most notably Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick have either openly refused a carbon tax or have enacted other environmental policies that Mr.Trudeau has decided do not meet his carbon tax threshold.

In these four provinces (and these four provinces only) residents will soon be getting annual carbon tax rebates from the federal government. 

In Manitoba the rebate is $336, Ontario is $300, NB is $248 and Saskatchewan the yearly rebate is $598. 

In British Columbia the rebate is zero.

One local citizen recently shared with me that this Liberal carbon tax policy essentially rewards provinces who have rejected the Liberals carbon tax. 

An interesting observation.

In my view, this Liberal rebate is an admission that their national carbon tax is not truly revenue neutral and that people will pay more in costs related to the carbon tax.  

The intent in these four provinces, according to the Liberals, is to return a larger carbon tax rebate than what the Liberals calculate citizens in these provinces will pay in increased carbon taxes. 

In other words, the Liberals are suggesting that if you live in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario or New Brunswick you will make money and come out ahead after paying a carbon tax. 

This same carbon tax credit, that will be implemented through income tax returns, will also apply to the territories. 

In August the Trudeau Liberals also lowered the amount of carbon tax that some of Canada’s largest polluters will pay as a result of “competiveness” concerns as many of Canada’s largest trading partners do not have a national carbon tax.

It should also be noted that the recently negotiated USMCA trade agreement between Canada, USA and Mexico is also silent on the subject of a North American carbon tax meaning that competiveness concerns will remain.

My question this week: 

Do you believe government claims that you will come out ahead financially after paying increased taxes?

I can be reached at dan.albas@parl.gc.ca or at 1-800-665-8711. 

​Back in June of this year the National Energy Board reported that crude oil-by-rail exports from Canada set a new record of 204,558 barrels per day. 

Industry analysts predict that by the end of this year, oil exports could increase to 300,000 barrels. 

The International Energy Agency has predicted that by the end of 2019 Canadian oil by rail exports could hit 390,000 barrels a day with the potential to possibly hit peak levels of as much as 590,000 barrels. 

For some added context, in 2012 the shipment of oil by rail was roughly 30,000 barrels of oil per day. 

I mention these things because the efforts to block the Trans Mountain pipeline have been successful to date and have only served to increased shipment by rail, a less environmentally efficient option.

At the same time the production of oil in Alberta continues to increase.

Currently oil production is on pace to hit 5.6 million barrels per day by 2035, an increase of over 30% to current production levels. In the absence of increased pipeline capacity it is clear why oil by rail exports will only continue to increase.

Aside from the logistical challenges, there is also the current inability to access new markets that are willing to pay more for Canadian oil then is currently the case with exporting to the United States. 

Industry experts predict that roughly $1 billion a month is being lost in potential increased revenue from accessing new markets.

As many will know the Federal Liberal Government has paid $4.5 Billion to purchase the existing Trans Mountain pipeline and has repeatedly stated it will spend an additional $7-9 billion to build the expanded project. 

Currently the project remains at an impasse with no clear deadline being set by the Government for completion let alone construction.

What if there was another way? 

Independent Senator Doug Black has tabled a private members bill in the Senate. 

Bill S-245 “An Act to declare the Trans Mountain Pipeline Project and related works to be for the general advantage of Canada”. 

As many know, the BC NDP Government has been making efforts to block the Trans-Mountain pipeline. 

Bill S-245 proposes that the authority of class 29 of section 91 and paragraph (c) of class 10 of section 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867 to be used to declare this project necessary for the general advantage of Canada.

This bill passed in the Senate and is before the House of Commons this week. 

Given that the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that the Trans-Mountain project is in Canada’s national interests, it will be interesting to see if the Liberals support this Senate bill going forward.

My question this week:.

Do you support Senate Bill S-245 and the intent to declare this project necessary for the general advantage of Canada? 

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

With so much Canadian media reporting on the recent appointment of a US Supreme Court Justice, many Canadian stories tend to get lost in the shuffle. 

One of the stories that I suspect few have heard about is the progress of the Trudeau Liberals vaunted $35 Billion Infrastructure Bank.

I first raised my concerns about this bank when it was introduced by the Liberals in 2016.

I questioned the move to develop yet another expensive federally funded agency where none was needed. In a subsequent MP report in 2017, I raised the concern that the Infrastructure Bank doesn’t actually build any infrastructure. 

The Liberal Government has stated that the purpose of the Infrastructure Bank is to attract international investors who would invest privately and ultimately build infrastructure here in Canada.

This raises the question as to where the Infrastructure Bank is today, in late 2018. 

CBC recently reported the Infrastructure Bank has only been involved in one project since it was created.  

The project in question is committing a $1.28 billion loan to help build a $6.3 billion transit project in Montreal.

What is interesting about this particular project in Montreal is that it in no way was instigated by the Infrastructure Bank.

This Montreal light rail project was already in progress before the Infrastructure Bank was created.

Another interesting aspect to the Montreal light rail project is that it is being constructed by a French construction firm with the rail cars being built in India.

That single project aside, my earlier concerns about the Infrastructure Bank being an expensive and unnecessary waste remain.

Access to information requests have revealed some staggering costs to run this new Infrastructure Bank. 

Almost $11.4 Million has been spent on salaries, compensation and other administration expenses while close to another $ 1.4 million has been spent on capital expenses.

To recap, the Liberal Government has now spent close to $12.8 million on the Infrastructure Bank.

That is $12.8 million that could have been spent building actual infrastructure that is instead paying for expensive administration.

On a different note, earlier this week the Liberal Government announced it was providing $1.44 million towards a “near net zero” private grocery store in an Liberal Cabinet Minister’s riding in Ontario.

This project was not funded through the Infrastructure Bank but rather through Natural Resources Canada.

My question this week is do you believe the Infrastructure Bank is a good investment of $35 billion in tax dollars or is it an expensive, wasteful and unnecessary abuse of resources?

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

This week Canadians learned that a draft agreement has been reached between the United States, Mexico and Canada with ongoing renegotiation of the NAFTA deal. 

The new agreement, subject to ratification is called the United States, Mexico and Canada Agreement otherwise referred to as the USMCA.

This agreement involved a significant number of concessions from Canada from the previous NAFTA agreement.

Some of those concessions are listed down below.

Dairy: the United States received increased access to the Canadian dairy sector- roughly 3.6%. The Liberal Government has promised it will compensate Canadian dairy farmers for their losses.

Auto sector: Canada has agreed to a maximum number of vehicles that can be produced in Canada (2.6 Million) and be exported to the United States without duty. As well, to avoid duties, 75% of the parts used in the manufacture of the vehicles, must originate from USMCA partner countries. 

Drugs: Canada has agreed to extend patent protections for biological pharmaceutical drugs to 10 years. This change is widely expected to increase the cost of some prescription drugs.

Copyright Laws: Canada has agreed to extend the terms of a copyright from 50 years up to 70 years. A change that many experts have called a “capitation on Canada’s copyright policy”.

De Minimis: this is a term that represents the amount of goods a person can bring across the border without being hit by duties.The basic exemption when crossing the border in person will increase to $40 of US goods up from the current $20. For online shipment (e-commerce) the level is increased to $150 CAD.

Trade autonomy: one more alarming concession that has many concerned in Ottawa is language that may restrict Canada's ability to negotiate a trade deal with a "non-market" country, for example, China. This is an emerging topic requiring more clarification.

BC Wine: on a topic closer to home another concession is that BC Grocery stores current selling only BC wines will be required to also sell wines from the United States…a problem that many thought could occur and made their concerns known when this provincial program was first put into place.

What has not changed is that an independent arbitration panel will still be used in the event there is a trade dispute. Many view preserving this as one of the few key wins for Canada in this new agreement that shall have a 16 year expiry date with an option to renew for another 16 year term.

Things not addressed in the new USMCA:

United States tariffs on Canadian produced steel and aluminum remain in effect as do the punitive tariffs on Canadian

Softwood Lumber.

In addition the United States “Buy American” provisions also remain in effect.

Is this a good deal or a bad deal for Canada? 

That is the question for Canadians to decide upon and will also serve as my question for this week:

Do you think the many concessions that the Liberal government made, went too far or is this simply the price to be paid for a new North American trade agreement?

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

This week a somewhat unusual event occurred in the House of Commons.
On Tuesday the Conservative Official Opposition tabled a motion:

“That, given the Prime Minister has told veterans that they are “asking for more than we are able to give”, the House call on the Minister of Veterans Affairs to revoke the Veterans Affairs Canada benefits that have been extended to Chris Garnier, who is not a veteran, is incarcerated for second-degree murder and for interfering with the dead body of police officer Catherine Campbell, and is currently receiving benefits for a disability he sustained while committing his heinous crimes.”

​The unusual event? 

After the debate on this motion, all opposition parties – the Conservatives, the NDP, the Bloc and the Green Party voted unanimously in support of stopping veterans benefits being provided to this convicted killer of a police officer.

The Trudeau Liberals used their majority to defeat this motion.

It is unusual for all opposition parties to vote together, however this issue crossed all partisan party lines. I have heard outrage from a significant number of people and in particular from members of our law enforcement community. 

The Liberals, in support of their move to defeat the motion, have argued that because the convicted murderer’s father is a veteran, there is justification to provide these benefits to his son.

There is some positive news related to this motion.

On the day this motion was being debated in the House of Commons, CBC reported that that “Veterans Affairs Canada will no longer pay for benefits for incarcerated relatives of veterans in the wake of the Christopher Garnier case.” 

This revised policy is one that I am already hearing strong support for, from many citizens in our region.

Despite this new policy, the Trudeau Liberals have decided it will not be applied retroactively, meaning that this convicted killer will continue to receive treatment for PTSD that he admitted was caused by events that occurred during his brutal act of violence against an off duty-police officer.

My question this week:

Do you agree with the Trudeau Liberals decision to continue to allow Veterans Affairs to pay the cost of PTSD treatment of the man convicted of murdering an off-duty police officer?

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

I was recently honoured to be named as the Opposition Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science, Economic Development and Internal Trade. 

This new role is one I take very seriously and I would like to briefly explain one of the reasons why.

In some ways Canada is at a cross roads. 

We have a Prime Minister who believed that if we had a national carbon tax, it would buy social license to support getting a new pipeline to tidewater.

Today we know that plan is failing for a variety of different reasons. 

The Prime Minister says he remains committed to getting the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion built, despite the fact that a growing number of provinces are rejecting his federally imposed carbon tax.

The important question here is “What are the alternatives?” 

This is where innovation, science, economic development and internal trade come in to the picture.

Recently, I learned of a new high tech refinery being built in Alberta. As refineries go this is a small one producing roughly 500 barrels per day. 

But what is exciting is this refinery is producing ‘clean diesel’.

What is ‘clean diesel’? 

It is a synthetic sulphur-free diesel fuel that is made from a mixture of liquid gas, wood chips and bio solids that has near zero CO2 emissions.

Not only does this fuel meet the low carbon fuel standard target for 2020, the same technology can also be adapted to produce synthetic jet fuel for aviation applications.

Another important consideration is this synthetic fuel is fully compatible with existing engines and requires no costly retro fitting.

Synthetic diesel can also be used as a concentrate. As an example, mixing 20% synthetic diesel with 80% conventional diesel produces a diesel fuel that is well below current European and Californian emission standard levels. 

There is also a local connection to this technology. 

A company located in the South Okanagan is currently manufacturing some of the equipment to be used at the refinery in Alberta.

With some adaptation, the same technology can also be used to generate electricity.

With a fairly robust supply of wood waste in addition to many local governments struggling to find locations to deal with bio solids, there are opportunities to use these materials to generate electricity. 

Currently, there are some exploratory efforts to identify possible locations for such a plant here in the Okanagan.

Synthetic fuels and energy production are obviously only one step in a complex problem but it does clearly illustrate the important role that innovation can play as we look to find lower carbon solutions in our future.

My question this week: 

Should the Federal Government encourage development of innovation projects such as this one to reduce our CO2 emissions, instead of imposing carbon taxes?

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

​One of the local concerns I am hearing more about, is the growing frustration from those who are in the queue and waiting for applications to be processed related to citizenship and immigration and in particular, asylum claims. 

Many families in this situation believe that they are being further delayed because those entering Canada illegally (currently over 30,000) are getting priority treatment over those who enter legally and follow all of the proper rules and procedures. 

The Liberal Government has consistently denied this is occurring, stating that “asylum seekers are processed under a separate category neither ahead or behind applicants for immigration, permanent residence or citizenship.”

The Liberals have also stated that for unsuccessful applicants “there are no guarantees that you will be able to stay in Canada”.

This week the Globe & Mail published a report that indicates that the wait time for a refugee claim hearing in Canada has increased more than a third over the past two years and that the “the resulting backlog has created a growing queue for any and all asylum seekers.”

The Globe & Mail report is consistent with the growing concern and frustration that I am hearing locally.

Another troubling statistic from the Globe & Mail, and I quote directly, “a separate data set from the Canada Border Services Agency shows that only a handful of those who have been denied refugee status have been deported.”

The report states that of the 32,173 people who crossed into Canada illegally since April, 2017, only 398  have been deported. 

Of those, 146 were sent back to the United States.

The remainder  to 53 other countries including Haiti (53), Colombia (24), Turkey (19) and Iraq (15).

As the National Post has reported, under the previous Conservative Government in 2012/13, the number of failed claimants that were returned to their country of origin was 14,490. 

In 2016/17, under the Liberal Government, that number has declined to just 3,892.

The Liberals like to suggest that pointing out this growing problem is “stoking fears on immigration,” an accusation I will continue to categorically reject.

As I have stated in the past - supporting legal immigration to Canada is how we ensure fairness for those citizens who are making every effort to fully comply with Canadian law. 

My question this week:

Do you believe that those who make every effort to legally comply with our immigration system are being treated fairly as their application wait times continue to grow?

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

Early last week the federal Minister of Natural Resources went on the record to state that his Liberal government had “done extensive consultation” and had  “went beyond what the NEB (National Energy Board) has done. We took six months extra to consult with Indigenous communities and affected communities on the route.” - all in order to get the Trans-Mountain pipeline project approved.

In other words, the Trudeau Liberals were so confident that they spent $4.5 Billion of tax payer money to buy the existing pipeline from USA based Kinder Morgan, to be followed by the much more expensive expansion project (estimated cost to be between $7-9 Billion) 

Late last week we heard the Federal Court of Appeal disagree with the Liberal Government by ruling that consultation had not been adequate. 

This ruling, at least for now, has brought the Trans-Mountain project to a standstill and layoff notices for many crews working on different aspects of the project are expected shortly. 

As a result of this Trudeau Government failure, the Alberta NDP government announced it would be withdrawing from the Liberal national carbon tax plan until such time that the Trans-Mountain pipeline project is completed.

These negative developments, along with ongoing NAFTA negotiations challenges that resulted in Mexico reaching its own agreement with the USA and Canada sitting on the sidelines, resulted in many media referring to this as “Trudeau’s horrible, no good, very bad week”.

So this week, during an emergency meeting of the Natural Resources Committee in Ottawa, a simple request was made to have the Finance Minister and Minister of Natural Resources appear before the committee and explain what the Liberal plan was to build the Trans Mountain pipeline, in light of the court ruling.

That request was blocked by the Liberal members of the committee. 

To recap, the Liberal have spent $4.5 Billion buying a pipeline that requires a further $7 to 9 billion for an expansion and they refuse to disclose how they will actually complete it.

Many experts are suggesting that the Liberals have created a regulatory environment that not even they can successfully navigate. 

From my perspective, whether you support the pipeline or not, a democratically elected government should be able to see projects deemed to be in the national interest completed. 

Instead we have a situation where it appears that activists, some of whom are foreign funded, may usurp the will of a democratically elected government. 

While some may view the prospect of foreign interference in our elections with skepticism, this is now a mainstream issue with the Liberal Government suggesting current federal election laws do not fully take these activities into account and suggesting some legislative fixes are warranted.

I suspect the reason why Mr. Trudeau refuses to disclose how he will break this self-created regulatory quagmire is due to the fact that an election is approaching and it is politically more convenient to “rag the puck” when it comes to a controversial subject such as building pipelines. 

I hope that I am mistaken on that point and that the Prime Minister will reveal a concrete plan that supports a project he has defined as being in our national interest. 

My question this week:

Given that the Trudeau Liberals define the Trans Mountain project as in Canada’s national interest, do you believe they will complete it?

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

​If you have been following Ottawa based politics recently you may have heard some speculation that Prime Minister Trudeau might prorogue the House of Commons, as the fall session is soon set to return.

This begs the more obvious question- what does that mean? 

As I have written previously on this topic, prorogation is one of the more interesting Parliamentary procedures. In essence each “session” of Parliament is not unlike a chapter in a book. 

As much as each chapter will have a beginning and an end, so too will a session of Parliament.


Prorogation is officially defined as the ending of a session of Parliament.

In this case the 1st session of this Parliament (the 42nd), would come to a close if is officially prorogued by a proclamation of the Governor General at the request of the Prime Minister.

Why request prorogation? 

There can be a number of different reasons however the most common is that the next session of Parliament would open with a throne-speech. Many consider this akin to hitting the reset button as it allows the sitting Government to outline a new or different direction.

Considering the next federal election is fast approaching, many believe there is political value in outlining a new agenda, hence the speculation that the House may be prorogued in the near future.

Is it unusual for the house to be prorogued? 

Looking back at previous Parliaments including the last one, there have been only five Parliaments that did not have two or more sessions. In fact many Parliaments had 3 or more sessions with some having as many as 5, 6 and even 7 sessions within the duration of an elected Parliament. 

Part of the reason for this is that prior to having a fixed calendar, prorogation was the only way the House could adjourn for a period of time. One other interesting aspect of prorogation is that it can be used at the discretion of Government without the consent of the opposition (that would normally be required to adjourn the House). 

Because prorogation is a tool of government that does not require the consent of the opposition, it tends to be quite heavily opposed when it is used because it allows the Government to defer debate or change the channel onto a different subject. 

I do not often engage in speculation however I believe this session of the House will likely end up being prorogued. 

My question this week now that you know more about prorogation is, do you think it is an acceptable political tool for the Government to use?

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

I have often said that the wheels of Ottawa tend to turn quite slowly. 

One of the issues I worked on in the last Parliament was the need to establish a regulatory framework in Canada related to invasive species legislation.  

This was and remains a serious concern locally given the growing threat of invasive freshwater mussels to our region.

After considerable delay and much prodding we were able to have the new regulations in place for the 2015 boating season however that was only the first of many steps required to protect the Okanagan and other freshwater lakes in British Columbia and Western Canada.

The concern now is funding. 

Recently when the Prime Minister visited the Okanagan he and members of his caucus have been touting “$500,000 in research, education and outreach to help prevent invasive mussels from reaching local waterways”.

In turn I have recognized the Liberal Government for listening to our concerns and taking some action on this file. 

Unfortunately the funding announced recently is spread out over a 3-4 year time frame meaning the actual impact is roughly $158,000 annually.

As my opposition colleague from North Okanagan—Shuswap, Mel Arnold pointed out, along with Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB), and more recently the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, this funding is nowhere near adequate to prevent invasive mussels from reaching our local waterways.

Make no mistake, the risks are very real. 

It is estimated that an invasive mussel infestation could create economic loss of $42 million annually in direct costs and lost revenue to the Okanagan region. 

More concerning is that invasive zebra and quaggamussels could destroy critically needed habitat that would further threaten or even destroy our local Pacific Salmon population.

The OBWB has issued a comprehensive multi-point plan that will better protect our region from invasive mussels. The annual operating cost of this plan is roughly $2 million.

To put that number into perspective, the current Federal Government’s annual Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) funding is close to $19 million. At the moment, 86% of the annual AIS funding is spent in Ontario. Here in the Okanagan, this recently announced funding from the Liberal Government is less than 1% of that.

I believe our Pacific Salmon habitat deserves more protection from the Liberals then less than 1% of the AIS funding. 

My question this week: 

Do you agree with me that the Federal Liberal Government should fully fund the request from the Okanagan Basin Water Board to better protect our region from invasive freshwater mussels?

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

In my weekly MP reports I often close with a question related to the subject of the report. 

I do this for a number of different reasons, most importantly because I want to know what my constituents think.

On some issues there may be a strong consensus, however on other issues there might be vast differences of opinion. 

In particular, I find citizens will often convey a perspective that might not be reflected in Ottawa. 

If there was any one subject that provoked an extremely significant response, it was related to the Trudeau Liberal Government announcing that it would spend $4.5 Billion to purchase the Trans-Mountain pipeline project from USA based Kinder Morgan.

The intent of this purchase was to spend an additional $ 7.4 Billion to build the expanded Trans-Mountain pipeline.

The reaction I heard from this decision that the Government spend nearly $12 Billion building a pipeline, was generally one of outrage, even from those who indicated they supported its construction.

I mention this because very recently the CBC reported on documents Kinder Morgan filed with the United States Security and Exchange Commission that show constructing the pipeline could increase costs a further $1.9 Billion over and above what was formerly disclosed and take an additional year to construct.

Most troubling is the fact that Canadian journalists did not learn of this new information directly from the Liberal Government. 

Without the filings from the US Security and Exchange Commission this information would likely still be hidden from Canadians.

Given that the CBC reports the cost to construct the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline may now top $9.3 Billion, with a possible completion date of December 2021, my question this week is a simple one: 

Have your views on the Trans-Mountain pipeline project changed in any way and do you believe the Trudeau Liberal Government can reliably manage this project?

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