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Plenty of surprises during opening weeks of Parliament

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The return to Parliament from constituency week has been full of surprises. Between the scandal of the Prime Minister and his office allegedly using political influence to give SNC Lavalin a sweet deal on the corruption and bribery charges the company is facing – and the arrival of a convoy of pro oil and gas workers blocking Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill (protesting the governments anti-oil and gas, anti-pipeline actions) – there has been lots to talk about.

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First, the scandal. It is known that SNC Lavalin extensively lobbied the Liberal government for an exemption to the fraud and bribery charges the company faces from prior business dealings in Libya.

After this lobbying, the finance minister slipped a “Deferred Prosecution Agreement” (DPA) into the 600-page omnibus budget bill, which went unnoticed.

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Subsequently, the Director of Prosecutions for Canada determined in September 2018 that SNC Lavalin would not be eligible for a DPA.

Media reports are stating that high-level PMO officials are alleged to have pressured then-Attorney General, Jody Wilson Raybould to give SNC the DPA. The allegations are that when she refused, she was removed from her role as Attorney General to the Veterans Affairs portfolio.
Adding fuel to the scandal is that the “official story” has changed each day for the last two weeks. Originally the Prime Minister said the fact Wilson Raybould was in Cabinet spoke for itself.

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The next day, she resigned from Cabinet.

Then on Family Day, Canadians were shocked to learn that the Prime Minister’s “right hand man”, Gerald Butts, had offered his resignation, after stating he did nothing wrong.

It’s worth noting the Ethics Commissioner is already investigating this issue, the seventh such investigation into the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers in less than four years.

Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Justice continue to refuse to vote with the Conservative members to allow for a full and transparent investigation into this matter, and many constituents have written me asking why the RCMP have not been called in to investigate. It is a criminal offense to exert undue political pressure to influence the justice system, or an active criminal prosecution in this instance.

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As we continue to see more developments on this file, I believe the RCMP are going to have to intervene to investigate, because it is clear that the government is attempting to cover-up the truth of what happened, especially as we are in an election year and they understand this story makes them vulnerable to losing power in Ottawa.

Then there was the pro oil and gas convoy story. Outside my office on the streets of Ottawa we saw hundreds of trucks arrive in Ottawa as part of the “United We Roll” convoy from Alberta. The main reason behind this convoy driving across Canada to the Capital was to raise awareness about the Liberal carbon tax, bill C-69 (which will prevent any large projects and pipelines from being built) and bill C-48, the oil tanker ban that will keep Canadian Oil from being exported.

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Other negative policies, such as the Clean Fuel Standard, will cost refineries like ours in Sarnia billions of dollars and are hurting Canadian industry and workers and their families from coast to coast.

Most constituents of Sarnia-Lambton understand the importance of Canada’s oil and gas industry and expect to see a government that supports industry and champions it worldwide. The Liberal government has said they want to shut down the fossil fuel industry in Canada, and have taken many actions towards this objective, unfortunately.

This week, I also took place in a special news conference to call attention to the Liberal government’s new tax on medical cannabis. A campaign is now underway across Canada to remove the tax from medical cannabis. Other prescription medications are not taxed, so this is another example of a tax grab on the backs of patients who simply need access to affordable medicine.

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At Health Committee, we met to discuss the critical issue of a national methamphetamine crisis that is ravaging communities like ours across our nation. I helped ensure we had local voices from Sarnia-Lambton participating in this committee study.

The winter session will be broken up by numerous constituency weeks, which is good news for those of you seeking to meet with me about important matters taking place here at home. I am also really looking forward to hosting several public skating events over the March break at the following locations:
• March 12: Greenwood Rec Centre (Petrolia) 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

  • March 13: Clearwater Arena (Sarnia) 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
  • March 14: Point Edward Arena, noon – 2 p.m.
  • March 15: Mooretown Arena, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The government will be introducing their final budget on March 19, so it will be interesting to see what is there. I will be hoping to see some important items included for Sarnia-Lambton that I have been working hard to see federal support for.

Lastly, I want to thank all the constituents who continue to reach out to me. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @MPMarilynGladu. If you have an issue you need to meet with me or my staff about, you can call my Sarnia office at 519-383-6600.

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