Dear Friends,
I have been working through extra committee meetings during what would otherwise have been parliamentary break weeks. Since the Auditor General’s report was released, so much more has come to light in Justin Trudeau’s ArriveScam scandal. Conservatives are looking for answers and pushing for action, but the Liberals have been set on trying to block our efforts.
In other news, I recently attended the world's largest mining conference, held in Toronto. Canada has a vital role to play building up our natural resource sector and promoting just and fair resource development practises around the world. This work is good for Canadian workers and for global security.
Read on for more on this and other recent developments.
The Death of a Canadian Giant
Last week, Canada came still for a moment as we lost a great Conservative former Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney. In 2009, I attended the 25th anniversary celebration of Brian Mulroney’s 1984 landslide victory. The key insight I recall him sharing that night was that “political capital should be spent in pursuit of great causes.” From human rights to economic reform, Mulroney’s legacy was one of doing just that. Rest In Peace.
Down with Double-Dipping!
New week, new revelations in the ArriveScam scandal.
It recently came to light that one of the foremost ArriveScam contractors, David Yeo, whose company received $8 million for its work on the app (though it isn’t entirely clear what they actually did…), was simultaneously a government employee all along! Since the Liberals took power in 2015, he has received nearly $400 million in government contracts — some of which were from his own department.
I put forward a motion that would call on the government to put a stop to these absurd practices of double-dipping. It passed, barely, despite Liberal opposition.
Last week, however, I tried to summon Mr. Yeo to appear before committee to answer for this corruption, but Liberals succeeded in blocking this motion altogether. Conservatives will continue to push for accountability and an end to these practices, even if the Liberals choose to laugh it off.
After a failure in procurement as massive as this one you’d think there would be some measure of accountability in the departments responsible. But the department for procurement, led by a Liberal minister, seems to think they aren’t responsible at all. That begs the question, what do they actually do if not that?
MAID Expansion Officially Delayed
Last week, the House voted to delay the expansion of the medically facilitated killing of people suffering from mental illness until 2027. While they did so on the grounds that “we’re just not ready”, it should be obvious at this point that this expansion of medically facilitated killing is simply not a reasonable solution, and not something we should, or ever can be ready to, undertake.
Conservatives are united in strongly opposing this expansion and will put a stop to it when we win the next election. You can watch my full speech here.
Flip-Flops on Arms Exports
Last week, Melanie Jolie, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, testified in front of MPs about Canadian arms exports to Turkiye. Despite initially saying that there must be no embargos between NATO allies, when pressed over the vital role diverted Canadian arms played in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, she said that exports may pause again in the future. Which is it?
Stop Dictator Oil
Canada is in a unique position to stop dictator oil. As our allies turn off the tap of Russian energy we can fill the gap, building Canadian jobs and industry while also advancing peace, freedom, and justice. Unfortunately the Liberal government would rather press forward with their extreme anti-energy agenda that hurts Canadians and fuels dictators around the world.
New Podcast Episode: The Horrors of Cobalt Mining in the DRC
The latest episode of Resuming Debate featured Professor Siddharth Kara, author of the book Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Ours Lives. Cobalt is an element used to make many of the electronics we use in our daily lives ranging from cell phones to aircraft engines, with the Congo being one of the largest producers in the world. The slave-like conditions of workers in cobalt mines taint the supplies of cobalt from the Congo with horror and blood.
PDAC Mining Conference
As mentioned above, a few of my colleagues and I recently attended the world's largest annual mining industry conference in Toronto. I took advantage of the opportunity to connect with industry representatives to discuss both domestic and international mining issues and actions that Canada can take going forward.
I look forward to sharing more on this issue in the House and in future Newsletters.
Upcoming Townhall and Roundtables
Next week, my constituency office will be hosting a townhall on Bill S-210, an act aimed at protecting young persons from exposure to pornography by implementation of meaningful age verification. All are welcome, but space is limited and RSVP is mandatory, so please contact my office to confirm your attendance in advance at Garnett.Genuis.C1@parl.gc.ca.
Tuesday, March 12th - 6:30-8:30 p.m.
We will also be hosting two days of roundtables, with two roundtables per day (four total). Roundtables are for constituents only. Space is limited and RSVP is mandatory.
Wednesday, March 13th:
6:00-7:30 p.m. - Government Spending and the Economy
7:30-9:00 p.m. - Open Topic Discussion
Saturday, March 16th:
2:00-3:30 p.m. - Security, Safety, and International Issues
3:30-5:00 p.m. - Open Topic Discussion
I am impressed with your commitment to holding the Liberals feet to the fire. Trudeau made a very laughable moment on TV tonight saying that We the citizens cannot break the law just like politicians can’t break the law (said with a straight face),the next time it was played that statement was wiped from his speech. Sherwood Park should be very proud of you.
Keep up the good work!