October 29th, 2012
The Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) is one of Canada’s oldest pieces of legislation, dating back to 1882. Its main purpose: to make legal the construction of works (such as bridges and docks) in waterways that might otherwise violate the common law right of navigation. The NWPA is not environmental legislation.
Over time, the scope and application of the Act has significantly expanded due to many factors, such as judicial decisions. The Act now applies to all waters in Canada that can float a canoe, including streams that are only full for part of the year.
And this has caused problems.
For example, the City of Moncton applied to build a culvert under a highway. The Navigable Waters’ approval delayed the project eight months, resulting in extra costs.
That’s why the Conservative government has introduced some practical changes to make the act reflect its original intent: Practical changes which make common sense.
I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.
October 22nd, 2012
Every so often, we see stories in the news about carbon taxes. Sometimes we hear about a similar concept known as cap-and-trade.
A carbon tax is basically a direct tax on the emission of carbon dioxide. A direct tax on gasoline usage is an example of a carbon tax. A tax on electricity produced by burning coal is another example.
Under cap and trade, businesses are given a limit or “cap” of how much carbon dioxide they can emit. If they produce less than their allocated amount of carbon dioxide, they can sell or “trade” the difference to another business that has produced more carbon dioxide than allowed by government regulators.
Cap and trade provides the government with new ways to tax wealth (depending on how the cap is allocated). In fact, the cap and trade system proposed by the NDP will raise an estimated $21 billion in new taxes. The NDP carbon tax will raise the price of everything, from groceries to gasoline.
I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.
October 15th, 2012
Every year the independent think tank, the Fraser Institute, calculates a tax freedom day. This is the theoretical day that people start working for themselves rather than for the government.
Over the last six years, Tax Freedom Day has moved back from June 26th to June 11th
That means Canadians are keeping more of their money where it belongs: In their pockets.
It’s the result of over 140 tax reductions the Conservative Government has implemented.
While the biggest tax cut was the lowering of the GST from seven to five per cent, other cuts, like pension splitting, tax free savings accounts and all the smaller tax cuts have added up.
In fact, the overall tax burden on an average family is down by at least $3,100 over the last six years. And that’s the way it should be: You work hard for your money and you need to keep it.
I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.
October 9th, 2012
The other week, there was a vote in the House of Commons on Motion 312: Whether or not Parliament needs to look at redefining the law about when human life begins. While the issue itself was important enough, one of the most interesting things was that MPs didn’t necessarily support their leader.
In fact, a majority of Conservative MPs went against Prime Minister Harper’s strongly expressed view on this issue. This vote illustrates a reality in the House of Commons that has often been forgotten. Members of Parliament don’t work for the leader of their respective party. They work for their constituents.
In a parliamentary system like Canada’s, Prime Minister Harper is not my boss, he is the first among equals. The constituents of Saskatoon-Humboldt are my bosses. Whether you agree with my votes or disagree with my votes, you need to let me know because I really do work for you.
I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.
October 1st, 2012
Trade is important to Canada. We produce vast amounts of grains, oil, potash and manufactured goods. We certainly create more products than we can consume locally, so we need to export. And because of our rugged climate, there are certain goods that we just need to import.
Even though Canada is blessed to be beside the United States, we still need to diversify our trade markets.
That’s why your Conservative government has reached out to Asia to expand Canada’s trade opportunities.
We have started bilateral trade talks with China; opened a trade office in Burma; started trade discussions with Thailand and concluding a free trade deal with South Korea.
With their growing populations, these Asian markets represent a great potential for Canadian exporters.
Canada’s trade strategy in Asia may take several years to produce major results. As your government, we need to look forward into the future, open new markets and take advantage of economic opportunities.
I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.
