Archive for April, 2014

Last week, the Supreme Court laid out the rules for reforming the Senate.  To put it mildly, even small changes are going to be difficult. That’s not a bad thing; constitutional change should not be done lightly.

The biggest problem, however, may be that politicians may have different interests than voters, which is why I think an idea put forward by Conservative Cabinet Minister Maxime Bernier may have some merit.

He is suggesting that a referendum or plebiscite be held on the issue.  While it would not be binding on any premier, any provincial government that feels it could ignore the wishes of its voters will do so at its own peril.

Just because Senate reform is difficult doesn’t mean the government shouldn’t try to implement changes. But if we are going to be successful, it will only be with broad popular support.

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.

During consultations held by the federal government over the past year, many victims of crime shared stories of their interactions with the criminal justice system.

Many participants expressed a desire for victims of crime to be kept better informed and involved at every stage of the judicial process, calling for an increased understanding of the needs of victims.  It is because of these consultations, the Conservative government introduced the Victims Bill of Rights.

This new legislation aims to ensure that victims are at the heart of our judicial system and that they have the right to:

1.      Information
2.      Protection
3.      Participation
4.      Restitution

The Conservative government wants crime victims across this country to know that we have listened to their concerns and that we are on their side. Victims will have enforceable rights; they will be treated with the respect and fairness that they deserve.

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.

Firearms owners and constituents worried about property rights in Canada have sent me many letters and e-mails to express their deep concern over the RCMP’s decision to re-classify the Swiss Arms family of rifles as prohibited.

Some constituents wrote to me, asking if the federal government was going to offer compensation for the Swiss Arms Classic Green rifle.

First of all, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney stated on March 14th that the “owners of the affected firearms can rest assured that they will face no sanctions as a result of the continued possession of their private property.”

In addition, our Conservative government will build on this amnesty and bring measures forward that will protect all law-abiding firearms owners from these types of retroactive and unpredictable decisions.

I enjoy hunting and have used firearms since I was a boy. I was shocked that a bureaucrat would expose thousands of lawful firearms owners to criminal sanction at the stroke of a pen. We will not rest until this matter is resolved.

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.

Over the last couple of months, my parliamentary committee on natural resources has been studying the benefits of the oil and gas sector across Canada, and not just in the traditional regions of Canada that produce oil and natural gas.

Far from being a “disease” (Thomas Mulcair’s description, not mine), the oil and gas industry benefits all of Canada, including small businesses and larger ones across the country.

In fact, steel foundries, bus manufacturing plants, tech companies, engineering firms and many other companies in the east all benefit from the development of natural resources in western Canada. All of this evidence contradicts the story put out by Thomas Mulcair (that Canada suffers from the “Dutch disease”—meaning that natural resource growth hurts other parts of the country.)

Western Canada’s natural resources help all of Canada. Saskatchewan’s potash, its oil and gas benefits the entire nation. Our growth in the west does not hurt eastern Canada, no matter what the NDP say.

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.