THUNDER BAY – POLITICS – “This Government’s Throne Speech placed special emphasis on working with Canada’s different regions to improve our economy. As a Member of Parliament for a northern and rural riding like ours, I am happy to see this focus. Our towns and First Nations face different challenges than those down south, so we need local solutions for local problems.
The speech also reiterated much of what was in the platform that our Government was elected on. Being a throne speech meant that it was by tradition a broad, big-picture document, offering a general roadmap for our future legislative work. This work will include our plans to address climate change by reducing our carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050, making life more affordable for working and middle-class Canadians through tax cuts and social spending, committing to dealing with gang violence, substance abuse, and mental health, and working towards implementing national pharmacare. Of importance also was our Government’s commitment to advance reconciliation with Indigenous communities, including eliminating all remaining long-term water advisories by 2021.
I am glad to be starting the new legislative session. The first act of this Government will be passing a tax cut for working and middle-class Canadians. I look forward to getting this done for the people of Thunder Bay-Rainy River.
I also want to take time to recognize my fellow Northern Ontario MP Anthony Rota, who was elected today as the first Canadian of Italian heritage to serve as the Speaker of the House of Commons. Speaker Rota delivered an impassioned acceptance speech, partly in fluent Italian, which addressed the past discrimination Italian-Canadians experienced in our country. I was proud to vote for Speaker Rota, and I believe his time as Speaker will be a great benefit to the Italian-Canadian community.
