Representing Saskatoon-Humboldt is a privilege. As your representative in Ottawa, I work for you. It is especially rewarding when I see the difference that good government policy is now making in the lives of families back home. Here is one example:

On May 10th, a group of rural MLAs came to Ottawa to talk to their federal counterparts, the Members of Parliament. One of them told me about a young farm couple in her riding. They were in financial trouble because of the tough times in agriculture. The final nail in their financial coffin was a demand from the federal government to pay back an “overpayment” from CAIS in the neighborhood of $44,000. Financially, it was over for this farm family. Bankruptcy was their only option.

But a couple of things then happened. First, the Minister of Agriculture announced a freeze on all the CAIS claw backs the bureaucracy was demanding. Secondly, some recalculations were done. The young farm couple got a phone call. With the new money for farmers announced in the budget, the young couple was actually going to get a cheque, instead of having to pay a bill.

If anyone wants to know why I’m a MP, show them the above story. I’m a farm boy and nothing makes me prouder than being able to help rural Saskatchewan. Now I’m not saying that everything the government has done is perfect, far from it. However, what we have done helps, and it has made a positive impact on people’s lives.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament, and I welcome your feedback. Write or call my offices.