I think we all deserve a reason to smile, so our goal with this year's 2021 calendar is to have some chuckles and laughs. But to do so I need your help.
Be they dogs, cats, hamsters or horses, I am looking for you to share your funny, cute, and quirky pet photos for this year's calendar.
You can send your photos to: John.Barlow.C1@parl.gc.ca including your name, pet’s name and your postal code. Please make sure to send high resolution photos only.
Deadline for photos is October 21st, 2020.
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As the leaves change colour and the day greets us with a crispness to the morning air, the excitement of the end of harvest sets in.
Harvest is a significant time of year for our farmers. It is the culmination of all their hard work. After months of planning, preparing, seeding, fertilizing, and spraying, harvest is the end result. The fruit of all their labours.
In the spring, there was something so reassuring driving through the Foothills and watching the farm families hard at work. Farmers continued to seed just as they always had, in spite of the uncertainty facing our world. Our farmers kept working so our grocery shelves would be stocked and food on our dinner tables.
With the chill of fall setting in, I felt such a warm comfort to see the combines out in the fields throughout harvest. As the mountain peeks turned white and the golden fields became quiet, I was proud for each of these farmers and their families as they celebrate another successful harvest.
Thank you to all the farmers, ranchers, producers and your families across Foothills, for your steadfast work, your commitment to growing and producing the highest quality food for Canadian families and customers around the world.
Thank you for your early mornings and late nights, your battles with the weather and challenges outside of your control.
Thank you for setting the example to keep working and doing what we can, even when we are not sure what the future may hold.
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What's new from the Hill..
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The Standing Committee on Health -
Legislation and policy on Health is perhaps more important now than ever before. Therefore, I am proud to be asked by Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole to sit as a Member on The Standing Committee on Health, which will study issues and legislation surrounding response to the COVID pandemic, health policy and has oversight of four health-related agencies, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
I look forward to the work we will do as a committee during these trying times facing Canadians.
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Focusing on Health issues for our Conservative Team
Teams that thrive are the teams who work together. I'm proud to be supporting my colleague Calgary-Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel-Garner with her work as Health Critic for our Conservative team. In addition to my duties on the Health Committee, I am eager to focus on issues related to food safety and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), and develop a strategy on cannabis related regulatory challenges. I will also be working on issues related to the opioid crisis as the topic is important not only in Alberta, but across Canada.
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The Liberals released a preliminary list of single-use plastic products they plan to ban by 2021 including grocery bags, stir sticks, six-pack rings, plastic utensils, some food ware, and plastic straws. The Liberal government also re-announced its plan to designate plastic as a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
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We are in the midst of a pandemic and this is not the time for ideological Liberal policies and desperate attempts to keep campaign promises. The health and safety of Canadians should be the number one priority for the government. It’s shameful it’s not.
The environment and economy can go hand in hand, but kicking Canadian businesses while they are down and making drastic policy changes will add hardship and expenses to sectors who are struggling to survive. Not to mention, plastics and the petrochemical industry playa critical role in developing and manufacturing personal protective equipment desperately needed here and around the world.
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The Liberals have tabled Bill C-7: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying). The legislation repeals the requirement the patient’s death must be ‘reasonably foreseeable’ but requires patients to still have a ‘grievous and irremediable medical condition.’
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When the original MAID legislation was debated I held numerous town halls across the riding and spoke to hundreds of constituents on this issue. Since the new bill has been tabled I have received hundreds of letters from constituents expressing their concerns with this legislation. This is an extremely important issue for many of you, and I want you to know I am listening.
Please contact my office or send an email with your thoughts on this new legislation as I am your voice on these critical issues.
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Local news to Celebrate...
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Congratulations to Okotoks Oiler alum Dylan Holloway, who hails from Bragg Creek, on being drafted in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers!
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Congratulations to John Scott, Vickie McFadyen and the cast and crew of True West: The John Scott Story for winning People’s Choice Award at the CIFF It will be shown at High River Drive-in on Oct. 15 at 7pm! The documentary on legendary cowboy John Ware will also be shown that evening. See highriversunsetdrivein.ca for details.
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Congratulations to Millarville’s Lt. Col. Riel Erickson on being named commander of Canadian Forces Flying School in Moose Jaw. Erickson is the first woman to take command of 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School, the centre of pilot training in the country, based in Moose Jaw, Sask.
PHOTO COURTESY RIEL ERICKSO, Calgary Herald.
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A reminder, applications are open for community-based projects under the New Horizons for Seniors Program until October 20th, 2020.
This year, organizations can apply for funding to support seniors dealing with the pandemic by submitting project proposals that offer specific COVID-19 relief and recovery activities for seniors. More traditional NHSP projects planned for delivery in 2021–2022 can also be submitted.
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Thank you to the residents of Foothills who have once again voted me onto the Best of Foothills list! I am humbled by your ongoing support and honoured to represent you in the House of Commons. Congratulations to all the winners! We truly live in an amazing community.
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Online Petitions for Parliament
e-2815: To immediately cancel the agreement made between the CMHC and UBC to study the idea of a home equity tax, and reject any possibility of this tax being implemented in the future.
e-2835: To reaffirm its commitment to openness, transparency, and accountability to Canadian citizens, especially as it relates to the recent uptick in potential foreign influence from the People’s Republic of China and review and implement legislation to counter foreign interference and influence, looking in particular to experiences of other democratic countries, like Australia, which have effectively addressed these problems.
e-2711: Call upon the Minister of Health to reverse their decision to ban the sale and use of strychnine under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, and to conduct research to study potential alternatives to strychnine, which would serve to control the populations of Richardson’s ground squirrels that are comparable to strychnine in effectiveness, efficiency and costs.
e-2687: To invest heavily and quickly, starting in fall 2020, to expand rural broadband connectivity by meeting the 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload targets set by the CRTC in 2016, to foster healthy competition, equitable access and affordability, and to hold large corporations accountable for their actions.
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