Report From Parliament's Hill - December 11th

By Prince George - Peace River M.P. Jay Hill

MPs Cooperate to Dig Out From the “Storm” That Blew Over Ottawa

What a difference a week makes!

As a federal politician for over 15 years, I thought I’d become accustomed to how quickly the political landscape in this country can change.  Certainly, many constituents have accompanied me through a journey of dramatic changes over the years since I first ran as an MP.

Yet, like a lot of Canadians, never could I have imagined the unpredictable, rapidly-changing events of the past ten to twelve days!

We went from a coalition signing ceremony between Jack Layton, Stéphane Dion and Gilles Duceppe, to mass protests against the coalition across the nation, to the abrupt resignation of Mr. Dion, to the coronation of new Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff after all of the other contenders left the leadership race.

You just can’t make this stuff up!

While these events prove that anything can happen in politics, I’m reasonably optimistic that for the good of the nation Parliament Hill will be a more stable environment in the coming weeks. 

I also recognize that Canadians have become even more cynical about our democratic institutions and elected representatives as they watched the ‘politicians in Ottawa’ nearly erase the results of an election of just two months ago.  Sadly, some Canadians were left wondering why they bothered to vote.

To them, I would like to point to the silver lining.  The vast majority of Canadians did not like the idea of a coalition one bit.  Your concern and yes, anger, compelled you to make your opinion known through organized yet peaceful protests, and tens of thousands of emails, letters and phone calls. 

And it worked!

We are fortunate to live in a nation where we can exercise our right to voice our opinion and, when the overwhelming majority speaks, they can make a difference.

I’m not saying it will be easy to keep this minority Parliament on track but Canadians have told their elected representatives that stability is essential in the midst of these difficult economic times.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper quickly indicated that he hopes to sit down with new Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff to discuss his priorities, common goals and the upcoming budget, which will be tabled the last week of January.

When Parliament resumes in January, as Government House Leader I will redouble my efforts to work with the opposition towards advancing a collaborative agenda that serves the best interests of Canadians. 

On a final note, I would like to remind those constituents planning vacations outside Canada over the upcoming vacation season to get your passport.

Each year, we learn of constituents who have booked and paid for trips abroad before getting their passport.  Please don’t risk losing your vacation and your money.  Passport Canada has dramatically sped up the process to issue passports but any number of problems can arise.

If you’re travelling by air or sea to (or through) the United States you MUST have a passport.  As of June 1^st, a passport will also be required for ground travel to the U.S.

Contact my office for assistance in applying for your passport or go to www.passport.gc.ca.

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