Happy Stampede Ya’ll! We have been to more pancake breakfasts than I can count and the party continues on! It has been wonderful seeing Chestermere/Strathmore get into the spirit of things. I would like to give a shout out to all the volunteers, organizers and businesses that put together these fantastic breakfasts. It brings our community together and we all look forward to sitting and having a meal together rain or shine!
As you may have heard, we just finished a 40+ hour filibuster by the Opposition, passing 13 bills and keeping our election promises to you. We have decreased corporate taxes, rid our province of the job killing carbon tax, and are working towards reducing red tape in everything that we do. This will bring much needed to tax relief and we are honoured to have the opportunity to bring forth legislation that creates the right environment to be open for business!
I wanted to share some thoughts about the BC Government trying to shut down our ability to get our incredible and responsibly developed natural resources to port and overseas to countries like India, and China. The previous Government passed the “Turn Off The Taps” law but it was never proclaimed (required before any Bill comes into force) until Premier Kenney took office and he promptly proclaimed it. BC is now concerned and they are worried that this legislation will be used. The BC NDP are sweating and they should be. We are also appointing a commission to take on foreign funding of environmental groups that look to land lock our resources. I stood in the legislature and I spoke directly to the former environment minister about her “Tar Sands” campaign and about the choices the previous government made actively disrespecting our incredible natural resources at the global level. Thank you to the indefatigable Vivian Krause for her leadership and research into these foreign funded campaigns and for shedding light on who these eco-activists are. We will soon see how these groups are funded and we will hold them to account for the misinformation they have been spreading. We will not be hiring eco-activists on tax-payer dollars, activists who actively work to shut down our oil sands like Tzeporah Berman and Karen Mahon. We are taking a very different approach. It is time to stand up. What I found particularly interesting was Vivian Krause called the Prime Minister out on meddling with the Canada Revenue Agency. At his direction they have suspended charitable audits of these groups and it appears that online access to 14 years of their tax returns has disappeared. Why? To hide the funding of activists against our resources? As Premier Kenney has said, “It Stops Now”! These groups spend millions of dollars on campaigns against Alberta energy. We are the most ethical producers and we will not allow these foreign funded groups to ruin the prosperity of this nation.
Premier Kenney is meeting with Premier Moe, Premier Ford, Premier Higgs, and Premier McLeod to talk about the energy industry, about our shared Canadian prosperity, and about Canadian Unity and the confederation. Thank you to all of the Premiers for meeting in Calgary, enjoying fantastic Stampede hospitality, and we are honoured to have “white hatted” all of you as honorary Calgarians. Welcome to all of you!
We are heading into the pre-writ period of the Federal Election. There is a ton of need for volunteers and organizers to help with our local elections. Please volunteer your time to these important events. Candidates are truly grateful for your time and energy, and it is a great way to get engaged with your favourite candidates (I’m a little biased towards our MP Martin Shields). Democracy is best served by having many voices so please get out there and volunteer for the candidate that you think will best represent you!
Finally, if you have a chance to head to the Glenbow museum please check out Nick Cave’s amazing installation. He is incredible and gifted in his interpretations of his life and experience through his art. It is well worth the time to head down for a look! It is his first exhibition in Canada.
Please contact me at 403-207-9889 or Chestermere.Strathmore@assembly.ab.ca. We have arranged for meeting space in Chestermere and we love to hear from you.
