October 28th, 2013
Perhaps you’ve heard about the Canada-EU free trade agreement and you’re wondering why trade is such a big deal.
In Canada as a whole, one out of every five jobs is dependent on trade, and Saskatchewan is the most trade dependent province in Canada. Without international trade, Saskatchewan simply has no economy to speak of.
The EU is particularly attractive as it is the largest and most lucrative market in the world. With its 28 member states, 500 million people and annual economic activity of almost $17 trillion, it is bigger than the United States, our number one trading partner.
From day one, the Canada EU trade deal eliminates 98 per cent of all tariffs between Canada and Europe. And various economic studies estimate 80,000 to 100,000 new jobs will be created in Canada because of this agreement.
Trade works for Canada. The more we trade, the more we prosper.
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 21st, 2013
Most of the news coverage concerning the historic Canada-European Union trade deal emphasizes the jobs that Canada will gain and the profits that Canadian industry (agriculture in particular) will make in the coming years. There is another major reason why this deal is important for Canada: The Canada-EU trade deal will help lessen our dependence on the U.S. economy.
Canada profits greatly from being located next to the U.S. But we end up suffering when their economy takes a turn for the worse. The only way to lessen our dependence on the U.S. is to expand our markets–and the EU is the world’s biggest market outside of North America.
So when you hear the doomsayers criticize this deal, ask them: How much of the Canadian economy do you want run from Washington?
The U.S. will always be our largest market but it doesn’t have to be our only market.
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 14th, 2013
The federal government has what is known as the Special Access Program (SAP). This allows doctors to request access to drugs that are unavailable for sale in Canada. This program is limited to patients with very serious conditions on a compassionate or emergency basis when conventional therapies have failed. It is not intended as a way to give illicit drugs to drug addicts.
That’s why Health Minister Rona Ambrose moved to close loopholes in the program when her bureaucrats decided last month to defy the wishes of the elected government and use the program to give heroin to heroin addicts.
The Conservative government wants to take heroin out of the hands of addicts, not to put it into their arms.
We don’t support giving heroin to heroin addicts. We support treating addiction using real science and real medicine. Addicts need real help. They don’t need the Canadian government acting as an enabler.
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 7th, 2013
If you follow the news, you know that the Government of Canada is doing its best to get President Obama to approve the Keystone pipeline to take Canadian oil to the U.S. market.
But we have to consider the possibility that President Obama will bow to environmentalists and block Keystone. For these extremists, the Canadian oil sands are a symbol of what they oppose and as such they think stopping Keystone is important.
That’s why the Conservative government is supportive of other initiatives to transport Canadian crude. We are encouraged by private sector initiatives to move oil by pipeline both east and west, and we know that more oil will be shipped by rail in the future.
Oil is crucial to Western Canada. We cannot be held hostage to silly symbolic games played in Washington D.C. Our oil will get out.
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.
