Honouring Stew Tuningley & Volunteer Spirit
Jul 23, 2011 / 5:00 am
Often in my columns, I have talked about the value and important role volunteers play in our community. I was very saddened to hear that one of those special people, Mr. Stew Tuningley lost his life while volunteering with the Westbank Lioness and Lions Clubs. It is an unspeakable tragedy,...
Standing by our seniors
Jul 13, 2011 / 5:00 am
One of the most important aspects of Budget 2011, recently passed by Parliament, was our continuing efforts to support seniors and help them meet their needs. This year, Canadians will receive close to $72 billion in benefits through the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and the...
Oh Canada: what a great country!
Jun 29, 2011 / 5:00 am
Photo: Contributed As I write this column, all Members of Parliament, including the Prime Minister, have just wrapped up more than 48 hours of around-the-clock debate on the Canada Post back-to-work legislation. Canadians sent a strong...
Giving back
Jun 19, 2011 / 5:00 am
In 1996, running for municipal council, my campaign signs read, “Don’t ask what your community can do for you, but what you can do for you community. “ Here in the Okanagan, the month of June provides a number of opportunities to do just that. This...
The federal budget of 2011
Mar 27, 2011 / 5:00 am
The federal budget of 2011, tabled earlier this week, was designed as a low tax plan aimed at jobs and growth. It contained targeted spending measures toward those who needed it, while maintaining the necessary fiscal restraint required during tough economic times. The...
Budget news and red tape
Mar 13, 2011 / 5:00 am
Budget 2011 will be delivered on Tuesday, March 22nd. It represents the next phase of the Government’s Economic Action Plan, which to date, with the hard work and perseverance of Canadians, has been effective in helping Canada weather the global economic downturn. It’s important we keep the...
It's tax pain
Feb 27, 2011 / 5:00 am
There is a commercial running on TV right now that shows a patient visiting a doctor with a pain in his behind. “It’s tax pain,” the doctor says to the patient. “There’s nothing I can do about it.” Fortunately for Canadians, our Conservative government has a different diagnosis. ...
Setting the record straight
Feb 13, 2011 / 5:00 am
Setting the record straight is important. This week in Parliament the Liberal opposition tabled a motion denouncing corporate tax cuts. The threat is that if the government’s next budget, which will be tabled in March, doesn’t abandon corporate tax cuts then there will be an...
Year of the Entrepreneur
Jan 29, 2011 / 5:00 am
Rumblings of an election are getting louder but, personally, I don’t think too many of my constituents are hungry for one. My colleague, the Minister of State for Finance, the Honourable Ted Menzies spent the day with me in the riding last week meeting with a group of local seniors and...
Townhall meeting open to public
Jan 15, 2011 / 5:00 am
While the halls of Parliament remain quiet until our return at the end of January, much work continues in Ottawa and in our ridings especially as we prepare for Budget 2011. Prior to this month’s mini cabinet shuffle, the Honourable Ted Menzies, newly-appointed Minister of State for Finance,...
Good news items
Dec 18, 2010 / 5:00 am
As we head in to the final days of the fall session of Parliament, I’d like to alert you to a “good news” items. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) have signed a memorandum of understanding to make Canada more...
Cannan tables Motion 601
Dec 4, 2010 / 5:00 am
Last week I attended a funding announcement along with my colleagues Minister Stockwell Day and Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz which will help Canada's wine producers increase exports and strengthen their production processes. At a roundtable that followed, BC Agriculture Minister...
GM seeds & crops play important role
Nov 20, 2010 / 5:00 am
C-474, An Act respecting the Seeds Regulations (analysis of potential harm), has generated a lot of attention in the local media because a small but committed group of folks who are against genetically modified (GM) food believe that C-474 supports their position. In fact, this bill is neither...
Working for veterans
Nov 10, 2010 / 5:00 am
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking all members of this House for allowing me the opportunity tonight to discuss issues concerning the care and support we are giving to our nation's greatest heroes, the men and women who have answered the call to serve our country in times of war and...
Challenges
Oct 23, 2010 / 5:00 am
It was good to spend the Thanksgiving-break-week back in the riding with family, friends and constituents, including some folks who are facing some serious personal and financial challenges. As many in our community do every year, I joined several volunteers including RCMP Superintendent McKinnon...
The colour green
Oct 9, 2010 / 5:00 am
The best part of my job, and the most important, is working with the various individuals and organizations that are committed to keeping our community great. One such group is the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. Last week, Kelowna Chamber CEO Weldon Leblanc took time out of his busy schedule to...
BC Dragoons, F-35s, and the economy
Sep 25, 2010 / 5:00 am
This past weekend my wife and I were invited by our very own BC Dragoons to participate in a very special remembrance ceremony for our Vets. It was an opportunity to extend our gratitude to the Vets in the room especially the four who served in the battle on the Gothic Line in Italy in 1944. It was...
Promoting Canada abroad
Sep 18, 2010 / 5:00 am
I see that there is a story doing the rounds again about MP travel. As a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade, one of the criticisms I’ve heard leveled at MPs by trade representatives and government officials from other countries is that Canadian government officials don’t...
Improving Canada’s retirement system
Aug 14, 2010 / 5:00 am
When our government develops policy we identify and focus on emerging priorities. We do this knowing that there are needs of all kinds, in all parts of the country. We do our best to reconcile these needs fairly and we aim to maximize the economic return on taxpayer dollars for the benefit of...
Improving Canada’s retirement income system
Aug 7, 2010 / 5:00 am
When our government develops policy we identify and focus on emerging priorities. We do this knowing that there are needs of all kinds, in all parts of the country. We do our best to reconcile these needs fairly and we aim to maximize the economic return on taxpayer dollars for the benefit of the...


The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet.
Castanet presents its columns "as is" and does not warrant the contents.

(Click for RSS instructions.)
© 2010 Castanet.net













