BONNYVILLE - There's a lot coming down the federal pipe this year, but all of it depends on where the government will be putting their dollars and cents.
Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs said the biggest indication of what the year will have in store will become clear once the federal government has released their budget.
“The budget will be coming out in the spring, and I think that will tell Canadians a lot about what will be the Liberal approach during their term as a minority government."
Stubbs added, the federal Liberals continue to put the country's financial situation at risk, making it vulnerable globally for a recession.
“We’re continuing to lose investment and jobs that there are no indications on whether that’s going to let up or not in coming years. Of course, we as Conservatives, will continue to be advocates for responsible and careful spending that puts needs before wants and preferences Canadians' priorities, but also that gives money back to Canadians, because we believe Canadians and their families are the best people to make decisions about their own hard earned money,” stressed Stubbs. “I suspect what you will see is we will be the only party in the House of Commons advocating for a fiscally responsible approach to balancing the budget and getting Canada’s finances back on track."
In addition to advocating for fiscal responsibility, Stubbs intends to continue her fight for the oil and gas industry and rural crime.
However, the biggest hurdle the Conservative Party faces this year is electing a new leader, after former party leader Andrew Scheer stepped down in late 2019.
Stubbs said the party will make their selection in June, but the local MP hasn't quite yet settled on whom she will be supporting. Regardless of who takes the chair, there could be some adjustments headed her way.
“After that, my role may change or stay the same, there’s a little bit of uncertainty for me about 2020,” Stubbs detailed.
For now, Stubbs said, “In my position as the shadow minister of natural resources, I’ll continue to advocate on this file with a focus on oil and gas, because my colleague (Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP) Cathy McLeod is taking on and advocating for forestry and mining. It will really narrow my focus to the energy file, oil and gas, pipelines, LMG, nuclear, and calling for the Liberals to take concrete steps to fix the mess that (the federal government) has created.”
Stubbs referenced a recent meeting she had with the Minister of Natural Resources, where she provided issues he should take action on in order to attract investment back to Canada and restore competitiveness in our oil and gas sector.
In addition to pushing the federal government on these topics, Stubbs intends on making some headway on getting a plan of action from them on the Trans Mountain Expansion.
"Unfortunately they still haven’t given a concrete plan on their next steps for ensuring completion of the pipeline and told Canadians what will happen in terms of ownership. We will keep pushing them on that as well,” she detailed.
In 2019, Stubbs introduced Motion 167 into the House of Commons. Its intent was to force the federal government to complete a report on rural crime across the country through an investigation and interviews with those impacted by the issue.
“What happened with Motion 167 is the Liberals, after supporting it unanimously in the House of Commons, used all of their procedural tricks... of power that they had to dismiss doing anything concrete to address the crisis of rural crime across Canada and rural Alberta, so they had limited the time of work on the motion, the number of witnesses, and the report they ended up issuing I had to call on the speaker to force them to report," expressed Stubbs. "They actually said they made no formal recommendations and that it was up to provinces and territories to do more, which of course, just isn’t true. This is an issue that needs to be dealt with on multiple levels of government.”
She continued, “Certainly in terms of increasing sentences and protecting the rights of individual homeowners, those are federal criminal code and justice issues. In terms of sufficient resourcing for the RCMP, partnerships with provincial, municipal, and indigenous communities across the country, that’s federal jurisdiction also. There’s more that the federal government could do in terms of supporting victims of crime. They completely rejected the opportunity to do anything concrete on it, but in 2020 there will be more private members bills opportunities, they’re now in a minority situation, and our Conservative caucus, especially led by the Alberta MPs, are continuing to work with other levels of government and in the House of Commons will continue to try and make rural crime a priority for this federal government."
With the Liberals holding a minority government, Stubbs is wary of what that could mean in terms of getting things done.
However, she noted, the public doesn't realize how well parties can work together.
Using Motion 167 as an example, Stubbs explained how she worked closely with the federal NDPs, even going as far as accepting amendments from the party.
“I accepted amendments from them and worked with other rural members of the liberal party to secure support for that motion or to fight against the closure of the Vegreville Immigration Office, I worked really closely with other members of parties. I can say that for a lot of my other colleagues," she outlined.
Although there are circumstances that see varying parties join forces, they don't all see eye-to-eye on every topic that comes to the table.
“For us, the other parties in the House of Commons ideologies are all very similar. We’re the only party that is different on a number of key issues like crime, fiscal responsibility, and foreign affairs. It will be challenging, certainly for us as Conservatives, I think, to get things done. But, what is still yet to be seen and will be made obvious in 2020 is what the other parties are willing to put up with or turn a blind eye to when it comes to the Liberals just to keep them in power, and what the Liberals will do to keep power,” stated Stubbs.
She added, "We do work together, the problem is now the Liberals will do absolutely anything to maintain power until they see an opportunity when they will be able to win a majority government again.”
