Zimmer Takes on Asia-Pacific Gateway Portfolio
Prince George, B.C. – Bob Zimmer’s busy schedule just got a little busier.
Interim Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose has appointed the Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP critic for Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative.
This to go along with his current duties which include deputy critic for Families, Children and Social Development as well as his role as vice-chair for the Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee.
Just this week he was also named to the Conservative’s Softwood Lumber Taskforce with neighbouring MP Todd Doherty.
“Well there’s an old saying – if you want something done give it to a busy person,” says Zimmer. “And I guess that’s what they had in mind.”
He calls his new Asia-Pacific Gateway critic role “an awesome opportunity.”
“Asia-Pacific Gateway is something I’ve always been watching closely. It affects of course Prince George and really all of Canada but especially Prince George and to now be the lead critic is just an honour.”
What kinds of issues will he be examining?
“We’re talking about overall infrastructure for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. So it involves a bunch of different infrastructure projects to get our products to port. Especially through Prince Rupert and the west coast.”
Comments
Easiest job in the world if the leader of the opposition party in Canada, second easiest, being a critic for said party. lol
So what infrastructure projects would those be to get our products to port? Most people have no problem with products like wheat and other grains going to tide water, lumber, coal, aluminum and other mined metals, no problem. Oil and Gas, then there will be many that have a problem. Just stating the obvious I suppose.
Good luck in your new Asia-Pacific Gateway portfolio Mr. Zimmer, you are going to need it.
Double track the rail lines. Better yet get CN to connect Fort St James to Burns Lake for refined petroleum that can avoid the Nechako and be refined North of the Pacific watershed (ie north of Summit Lake).
Build an Ospika overpass at Walmart for some highway safety at PG’s busiest intersection and connecting to PG’s main north south city arterial route.
Build a new south Fraser crossing for a partial municipal ring road connecting the west with PG’s industrial areas via Boundary Road, Danson Industrial, and the airport.
CN as a private company should pay to double the line. Free enterprise means my tax dollars shouldn’t be used for them to make a profit.
But you are ok with thousands of tractor trailers using the publicly funded roads to transport goods for a private business?
Maybe someone could define the exact role of an opposition critic. Specifically, how many times can he/she rise in the chambers during question period and ask “how is it going with this” and “how is it going with that”, and listen to quick answers from the party in power that the “world is unfolding as it should”.
In other words, would anything change if there were no question periods and they spent their efforts in lobbying, coming up with solutions to the sticking points between the party in power and the opposition?
The role of any opposition is
Opposition critic gets up to speed with the portfolio and meets with stakeholders to find out what they want to happen in the portfolio so the party can design their platform around it. Only difference between a critic and a minister is the minister with the aid of the party can create policy to which then the opposition “critiques” to the people and the media. I doubt there is any requirement to ask a set amount of questions in the house. And just because one has the role in opposition does not mean if the party is elected they have that role in the future just dropping the word critic. An MLA or MP has to be a quick study as their role can change on a dime depending on what qualities the leader of the party sees in them – usually based on their background – but sometimes just the only person for the role
Trudeau on an interview with Anna Maria Tremonte was very elusive, must be learning from Zootopia and answering a question with another question and then answering that question. When asked about the possibility of a minimum 30 billion deficit all he could state is the people wanted them to spend on infrastructure, when queried about the 10 billion max in their election platform again went around to “um” the people wanted spending on infrastructure. Kind of miss Meisner style interviewing, she just let him go without getting him to really answering the question
what makes this guy a better fit for the position than tj grewal?
harper’s cons don’t give a pinch about pg.
What does Zimmer have to do with Grewal?
Zimmer likes Pizza Hut ?
The opposition ole is to complain about anything the government has done, is doing and plans to do in the future, no matter what it is.
Sounds like a role for people who post here. ;-)
You forgot, what the government is not doing, and there is a lot they are not doing! Jobs and the economy, crime, poverty, public education, LNG, managing our forests and other natural resource inventories, regulation and overseeing “safe” mining operations, etc.
I could go on, but I think most of us get the picture. ;-)
Zimmer is federal not provincial – I could go on but you get the picture :-o
harper would not let us have grewal as a rep/mp, and one would think that given his background and campaign, had tj been the mp instead of doherty, this portfolio would have been given to him, grewal, instead of zimmer.
And this would have made exactly what difference?
But then there would not be a “Doherty” and his file would have to go elsewhere – maybe to Zimmer?
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