Volume 43 | June 15, 2020
Hoback Electronic Herald
For the last three months, the House of Commons has been suspended and Members of Parliament have largely been working from home. During this time, Conservatives have put forward a number of constructive solutions to fix Liberal programs so that Canadians can get the help they need.

But virtual committee meetings are not a replacement for Parliament. Nor are the Prime Minister’s daily press conferences in front of Rideau Cottage. The government should not be allowed to hide information from Canadians or to pick and choose which questions they want to answer and when.

But that’s exactly what’s been happening.

Parliament should be sitting for Members of Parliament to hold the government to account, and to ensure it has a plan to restart our economy. But with the help of the NDP, Justin Trudeau shamefully shut down Parliament until at least the fall.

Now the government wants Opposition parties to unanimously pass omnibus legislation, and then pass $87 billion in new spending so that Liberal and NDP MPs can take the summer off.

Since Justin Trudeau lost his majority in the fall, there hasn’t been a single debate on government spending. He’s spent hundreds of billions of dollars of your money but refuses to provide an economic update. And he refuses to give the Auditor General the money that is needed to review his government’s spending. In fact, the Liberals are actually cutting $300,000 from the Auditor General’s budget this year. So we have no budget, no economic update, no oversight, and no accountability.

The Government of Saskatchewan will present its budget today in Regina as the Government and Opposition have agreed to a 14-day sitting. Yet Justin Trudeau continues to shut down democracy.

A resident of Saskatchewan recently initiated an e-petition calling on the Prime Minister to immediately resume normal, in-person sittings of the House of Commons and its standing committees in which all matters of national and international concerns can be discussed, while respecting public health guidelines.

Please click the following link to sign the petition: E-2629,
CONSTITUENCY OFFICES TO RESUME
IN-PERSON MEETINGS
Just a short note to inform everyone that my constituency offices in Prince Albert and in Nipawin will resume in-person meetings in the very near future.

I and my staff are now working to ensure that all COVID-19 preventative measures are in place before officially re-opening. Until then, we will continue to assist constituents via telephone, email and videoconferencing.

My office and staff will continue to abide by the guidelines and recommendations outlined in the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan .

Please expect an announcement very soon as to the official date of
re-opening.
PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICER CALLS ON TRUDEAU GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE
AN ECONOMIC UPDATE
In an interview with BNN Bloomberg, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux discussed the economic updates he would like to see from the federal government following its unprecedented measures to cushion the blow of COVID-19.

Giroux wants to see in an economic update the Government's plan going forward.

For example, is the government ready and willing to stimulate the economy once the pandemic is over, or will there even be a need to do so? Without a budget of a fiscal update the government is acting on a day to day basis without an overall plan.

You can watch the entire interview by clicking here .
WEDNESDAY IS CANADA TAKE-OUT DAY
PLEASE SHOP LOCAL
Every Wednesday is Canada Takeout Day. I encourage everyone to support a local restaurant on Takeout Day if you are able to afford doing so.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged residents and businesses in throughout our constituency. I continue to hear from too many small business owners who are struggling through this crisis. Many are finding it difficult to impossible to acquire federal support, which is why Conservatives continue to put forward constructive solutions to fix the gaps in the government’s financial support programs.

We have had several successes so far. Thanks to the persistence of the Conservative Opposition and small businesses, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) was increased from 10% to 75%. We also pressed the government to expand the eligibility criteria for the $40,000 Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) so that more Canadians qualify.

However, we know there is still much more to do. Conservatives continue to call for a new program to match students with jobs in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food industries, including fish and seafood. We have also proposed that the government refund GST remittances made by small businesses over the last twelve months. And we are calling on the government to make the CERB more generous and more flexible so that Canadians are not penalized for returning to work.

In the meantime, residents can help by supporting our local businesses while following the advice of health officials. Please join me in shopping local to support our retailers.

On the other side of this crisis, it will be the success of small, local businesses that will put Canada on the path to prosperity once again.

TRUDEAU`S FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER OWES THE BANK OF CHINA $1.2 MILLION
On Thursday, it was reported that Justin Trudeau's handpicked Foreign Minister, the man he chose to represent Canada's interest on the world stage, is indebted to a bank owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

Minister Champagne has two mortgages with the Bank of China with an outstanding balance of $1.2 million.

The Liberals are arguing that this isn't a big deal, as the Minister disclosed the mortgages with the Ethics Commissioner. But the Minister's latest disclosure was only made on June 4th - just a few days ago. Therefore a question arises: Did the Minister disclose both mortgages when he was first elected in 2015 or not?

It has also been suggested that this issue isn't important, as Canadians bank all over the world. There is however a huge difference between a Canadian having a mortgage at a Chinese bank and Canada's most senior diplomat being indebted to the Peoples Republic of China.

It is a well known fact that the Chinese regime uses leverage to expand its influence. Owing it $1.2 million in my opinion is pretty big leverage. As Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Alberta, and a former top civil servant has stated,

"It is inconceivable that this is not at the back of his mind as he deals with the Government of China, his most difficult file. This is what China does to bring business people into their orbit and influence."

Why doesn't Justin Trudeau see this as a problem? Why hasn't he asked his Minister to divest his properties or choose another member of his team to oversee Global Affairs Canada? This is the same Minister that stated three years ago that, "China stands out as a beacon of stability, predictability - a rule based system - a very inclusive society."

Perhaps Minister Champagne should ask the four Canadians being detained in China, or the 1 million Uighur Muslims detained there if they believe China is a a rule-based system or a very inclusive society? Given the fact that Trudeau once stated he admired the Chinese basic dictatorship, there is no surprise he chose Champagne to be his Global Affairs Minister.


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