It was great to be back home in the riding for the Summer.  I had a chance to visit with many of you, toured several businesses and attended various events.  Last weekend I was at Art Walk in Lake Country.  Congratulations to all the volunteers, sponsors and artisans for hosting such a wonderful event.

Speaking with constituents you made it absolutely clear that you are in no mood for another election right now.  I agree.  This is not the time for an opportunistic election.

On Monday when I arrived back on Parliament Hill, an election was certain.  By Tuesday, it was not so certain.  But this is Ottawa after all and the wind changes frequently.  As you read this we are scheduled for our first confidence vote on budgetary measures which includes the popular Home Renovation Tax Credit. 

The Liberal Party has already declared it will not support the Government.  The Bloc & NDP have declared they will and for that reason it seems – as of today at least – there will not be an election called this week.

Is that my dear wife I hear cheering?  

Many of you told me what is really important right now is to focus on the economy and help Canadians recover from the economic downturn.  That continues to be our Conservative Government’s #1 priority and the good news is we are making progress.

Despite the most difficult year for the world economy since the Second World War, Canada has been internationally recognized for our exemplary track record, our sound financial system, and our strong performance during the crisis.

Canada’s fiscal health should surprise no one.

As taxpayers we have achieved a great deal: permanent tax reductions at the personal and corporate level; a massive injection of infrastructure spending; record federal transfers to the provinces for essential services including healthcare, childcare and other social programs; and a commitment to debt reduction.
This strong fiscal record and disciplined focus on the most important priorities before the global downturn began allowed us to put Canada’s Economic Action Plan in place so that we could provide support for industries, communities and workers most affected by the global downturn, including the forestry and other sectors here in B.C.

Yet, despite these accomplishments, the naysayers still try to convince us otherwise. 

This week many Canadians were angered by the Liberal Party’s suggestion that Canadians are no longer proud to wear the flag abroad and that Canada has lost its place in the world.

That can be easily disputed.

 On the economic front, Canada leads by example.  Internationally, our aid contributions remain robust.  Canada was the first country to meet our commitment to doubling aid to Africa and we have untied 100% of food aid to ensure it gets to the world’s hungry.

And who can say we have lost our place in the world when it is Canada that is pulling above its weight in Afghanistan. 

As a strong NATO partner our efforts in Afghanistan have been nothing short of heroic. 

From a combat perspective, this has been a tough battle for our troops.  But these young Canadian men and women, who proudly wear the Canadian flag when abroad, persevere because to do so means we can accomplish milestones on the humanitarian front. 

The quarterly report released on Afghanistan this week shows that we have successfully vaccinated 369,000 Kandahar children to help eradicate polio and we continue to make some progress on school construction with 5 schools built and 28 currently under construction.

I am proud to be a member of a government that has accomplished so much and even more proud to work on your behalf to ensure that individuals, families and our community continue to receive the support required to achieve our goals. 

I can speak for all my Caucus colleagues when I say that our sights are firmly on keeping this Parliament working for you. 

We will continue to introduce legislation that will help support you such as the two announcements made this week: employment insurance (EI) improvements for long-tenured workers who primarily work in sectors like forestry and manufacturing; and tackling white collar crime, to protect Canadians from the likes of those who think nothing of stealing people’s life savings through fraudulent investment schemes.

We can’t let negative political opportunism drag us down.  There is more to come and more to be done.  As my wise Uncle always reminds me, positive thinking can take you a long way.   The right attitude will propel us forward to a full economic recovery giving us even more reason to be proud Canadians.

I will be back in the riding next week to bring some good news and if you would like to meet please contact my office at 470-5075 or ron@cannan.ca.

Ron Cannan, MP
Kelowna- Lake Country