The past year has been a “tremendous” one, according to Westlock-St. Paul MP Brian Storseth, with the federal government accomplishing many of its goals in 2012.
“We have accomplished a lot in the past year,” says Storseth, pointing to items such as the abolishing of the long gun registry this spring and the more recent elimination of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly. Following the busy fall season for farmers, Storseth said he heard many positives regarding the elimination of the wheat board and the first fall season with an open market.
Storseth says that it is also the small things that made 2012 a successful year, such as the decision by the federal government to eliminate the penny in order to save taxpayers’ dollars. He also points to tax cuts, saying that since 2006, the typical Canadian family now pays about $3,100 less in taxes.
Increased funding to the New Horizons for Seniors Program, which is a program that has been accessed by local organizations, and changes to the Navigable Waters Act, which is something requested by the County of St. Paul, are more accomplishments Storseth feels are noteworthy.
Storseth also passed a private member’s bill, Bill C-304, to repeal Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. He says he believes it’s important to protect the freedom of speech and religion.
As for issues facing the federal government, Storseth says, “there are always the partisan challenges,” and one of those biggest challenges is communication. He says the opposition kept saying the Conservative government was pushing things through with time allocation bills, but, “I think it’s actually getting work done,” and Canadians have been waiting for many of these issues to come to a conclusion.
Storseth says that moving forward, it will be important to keep Canada in the forefront of the global economy.
“We’ve got to keep our eye on the economy,” he says, adding, it’s important to focus on the priorities of Canadians, on jobs, growth and prosperity.
