Archive for June, 2014

Being Canadian means something. Canadian citizenship is valuable and should only go to those who have a real and abiding relationship with Canada.  That is the basic idea behind Canada’s new Citizenship Act. Under the new Act, someone applying for citizenship in Canada would actually have to live in Canada for four out of six years prior to becoming a citizen.

Along with new provisions to combat citizenship fraud and more stringent language requirements, we are sending out the message that Canadian citizenship is not something to be casually acquired.

We, as Canadians, welcome newcomers to join our country and take the oath of citizenship.  We know that those men and women who are committed to Canada will have no problem with the new requirements.  After all, being Canadian isn’t about who you are or where you come from– it’s about your attachment to and participation in the True North Strong and Free.

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.

One of the things that MPs appreciate is the cooperation we get from other government officials. Good working relationships make us all more effective. Case in point: the federal government funding of infrastructure projects in Humboldt.

Working together with the Government of Saskatchewan and municipal officials, millions of dollars have been invested in Humboldt to strengthen and improve the city.

For example, over $2 million in federal funding was provided to the Humboldt Education Centre at Carlton Trail Regional College. These monies were part of a two year, $2 billion plan to repair and expand research and educational facilities at our colleges and universities.

The feds and the province co-operated to provide $1.95 million in upgrades to the Multiplex. Another $333,500 from our two levels of government funded the replacement of water mains in Humboldt. An additional $500,000 in federal funds was used to upgrade 8th Avenue West.

Many other municipal officials have worked closely with me over the years to bring projects to their residents. In the R.M. of Humboldt, this teamwork resulted in $365,000 worth of improvements to the Dixon grid. So, as the Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Humboldt, let me say thank you to the mayors, reeves, and councilors who work with me to help build their communities.

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.

Last week, the House of Commons voted on C-560, a Private Member’s Bill on shared parenting authored by Maurice Vellacott, one of my fellow Conservative MPs in Saskatoon. There were good reasons to vote for the bill, which dealt with child custody after a divorce. There were also good reasons to vote against it.

All parties in the House of Commons were somewhat split on the issue.  The thing that I found interesting was how each party dealt with the bill. The Conservative vote split, 80 MPs for and 64 against the legislation.

The Liberals and NDP dealt with the issue differently.  The NDP had two of their MPs leave the chamber, to avoid splitting their vote. The Liberals had one of their MPs abstain.

I know that no party is perfect regarding how much freedom it gives MPs on matters of conscience, but that needs to change. MPs are elected to make decisions. We do that by voting–even if the issue is uncomfortable.

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.