As October 25^th, my final day as your Member of Parliament, rapidly approaches, many constituents have been asking about access to the services you have come to rely on for the past 17 years from my Fort St. John, Prince George and Ottawa offices.

 

I would like to reassure you that the constituents of Prince George-Peace River will continue to receive MP services and access to important federal programs and information.

 

Following the resignation of an MP, the Whip of that MP’s party (or the Speaker if he or she was an independent MP), becomes responsible for service to constituents, overseeing day-to-day operations and the management of employees in both the Ottawa and constituency offices until a new MP is elected.  In this case, Chief Government Whip Gordon O’Connor will assume responsibility for my offices.

 

If a general election does not take place, a by-election must be called no later than 180 days (roughly six months) after my resignation.

 

Shortly after October 25^th, all constituents will receive a letter from the Clerk of the House of Commons, Audrey O’Brien, regarding the continuation of MP services in our riding.  It will include local and Ottawa telephone and fax numbers and mailing and email addresses.

 

At this time, I can provide you with some of these details but please continue to watch your local newspapers and for your letter from Clerk O’Brien for further information.

 

The Fort St. John office will close as of October 25, 2010.  The Prince George office, located at #101-1584 7^th Avenue, will be open for in-person visits by appointment only.  However, you can contact the Prince George office during regular business hours at my long-time toll-free number:  1-800-661-1183.

 

In some cases only, MP staff can assist with federal programs and departments when constituents encounter difficulties obtaining information or resolving problems on their own. 

 

The following are some helpful federal telephone numbers and websites from which you can obtain assistance:

 

Passport Canada:  1-800-567-6868 or www.passport.gc.ca

 

Citizenship & Immigration:  1-888-242-2100 or www.cic.gc.ca

 

Employment Insurance:  1-800-206-7218 or www.servicecanada.gc.ca

 

Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security:  1-800-277-9914 or www.servicecanada.gc.ca

 

For any other queries, visit the Service Canada website or call 1-800-OCanada (1-800-622-6232).

 

The Prince George Service Canada office is located at:  1363 4th Avenue. 

 

The Fort St. John Service Canada Scheduled Outreach office is located at 10600 100th Street (Courthouse) and is open Wednesdays only from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed from 12 to 1 p.m.).   The Mackenzie Service Canada Scheduled Outreach office is located at 540 Mackenzie Boulevard and is open Mondays from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.  Please note that passport services are not available at the Fort St. John and Mackenzie locations.

 

For updates on parliamentary and political affairs, you may wish to monitor the Parliamentary website at:  www.parl.gc.ca.  You can also follow Government of Canada news and events at www.news.gc.ca or on the Prime Minister’s website at www.pmo.gc.ca.

 

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, my staff and I will continue to do our best to serve you as we always have.