By Kevin Sorenson, MP
Battle River -Crowfoot
The New Year could not begin better for my wife, Darlene, and I, as in January 2019, we will welcome into our family our first grandchild. It has been such a joy to watch our daughter, Kristen, and her husband, Matthew, prepare for the arrival of their son or daughter. We cannot wait to hold and spoil this new little life that we are so blessed to be receiving.
As I have done for the last 18 years, I will balance this new family responsibility with the demands of serving our large rural riding. Since first being elected in 2000, I have never taken for granted the honour that has been bestowed on me to represent the good people of Battle River-Crowfoot. I will do the same this New Year, as I have done every year since becoming a Member of Parliament, I will fight to have your voices heard, your questions answered, your many concerns addressed, and your problems cleared up. This, however, is becoming extremely difficult due to the Liberal government’s blatant neglect of Alberta and the many challenges we are facing.
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On the very last day of Parliament sitting in 2018, I stood in the House and asked: “Mr. Speaker, last week DND officials accidentally revealed in the Public Accounts Committee the transfer of the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment from Cold Lake, Alberta to Ottawa. Despite assertions to the contrary, neither the MP, MLA or Mayor of Cold Lake were briefed on the impact of this move such as the loss of 50 high paying jobs, let alone consulted on this decision. This is just the latest in this Government’s agenda to destroy Alberta every which way it can. Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of National Defence, why this attack on Alberta?”
I will continue to ask that question, as I will continue to ensure throughout 2019, the issues plaguing our great province are redressed and this includes getting the Trans Mountain pipeline completed, our oil flowing beyond our borders and our oil patch workers gainfully employed. If the Liberal’s disdain does not dissipate over the next ten months, we will fight with everything we have to ensure a Conservative Government is restored to power in October 2019. It will only be under the leadership of Andrew Scheer and a team of Conservative Cabinet Ministers that Alberta will get the respect it so richly deserves. Only a Conservative Government will restore the fiscal imbalance which is now projected to be $30 billion. This is despite Justin Trudeau’s promise during the 2015 election to balance the budget in 2019.
I will also be focusing on keep Canadians safe, particularly those in rural areas who are experiencing a surge in property crimes. My Conservative colleagues and I will continue to fight for more secure borders and this includes withdrawing from the Global Compact on Migration to give Canadians the exclusive power to control who is permitted to enter and stay in our country. We will push for lower taxes, a level playing field and more deregulation so Canadian companies can compete and investor confidence, especially that of foreign companies is restored.
Truth be told, 2019 will not be much different than 2018, 2017 or 2016 in that we will, at least until October, remain the Loyal Official Opposition mandated to hold the Liberal Government to account for their extensive list of failures and in doing so, protect the many varied interests of Canadians.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or previous columns you may write me at 4945-50th Street, Camrose, Alberta, T4V 1P9, call 780-608-4600, toll-free 1-800-665-4358, fax 780-608-4603 or e-mail Kevin.Sorenson.c1@parl.gc.ca.