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From The Hip: Warkentin ready to roll up his sleeves in 2012
Kevin Laliberte
for Smoky River Express
Much can be said about the positive accomplishments of Peace River Member of Parliament Chris Warkentin over the past year.
Warkentin recently released highlights of his party's work in the House of Commons through his Parliamentary Update and spoke candidly about where we are and what the future holds.
"As we enter 2012, I am confident that Canadians are positioned to face the challenges of the future better than ever," he emphasizes.
Part of that optimism is attributed to a strong economy which has managed to create upwards of 600,000 new jobs since July of 2009 – the strongest job growth record in the G7. And that trend is expected to continue over the next two years based on initial forecasts by the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which are both indicating our economy will be among the best in the coming months.
"Our Conservative Government is staying focused on what really matters: job creation and economic growth," says Warkentin, adding that economic recovery remains the government's number one priority.
Looking back to 2011, there were definitely some newsworthy accomplishments by the Conservative Government which made headlines both locally and nationally, including the introduction of the Marketing Freedom for Grain and Farmers Act as well as new legislation to scrap the contentious long gun registry program.
The legislation, which was introduced in October, marked the beginning of the end for what many Canadians called and ineffective and costly $2 billion program.
Warkentin says tabled legislation Ending the Liberal-endorsed Long-Gun Registry Act (Bill C-19) will enable the government to allocate precious dollars to the real root of the problem – tackling crime – as opposed to targeting law-abiding farmers and hunters.
That's expected to be achieved through a commitment by the government to invest in additional police presence on our streets and the mandatory introduction of stiff penalties for serious gun crime offenders.
Another positive development worth mentioning was the introduction of the Fair Representation Act last fall, which essentially gives Alberta a stronger voice in Ottawa by giving the province six more seats in the House of Commons.
Standing up for the rights of victims who have suffered at the hands of criminals, meanwhile, was an election promise which Warkentin followed through with by lobbying hard for the introduction of the Safe Streets and Communities Act.
Warkentin's continued work as chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development will focus on reviewing Bill C-27 in 2012.
He also plans to help introduce recommendations which would remove unnecessary red tape and obstacles for small businesses.
That includes an initiative which will provide entrepreneurs with a tax cut equivalent to additional incurred EI premiums of up to $1,000 when hiring additional employees. It's something which all small businesses in our region will appreciate.
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