After months of proroguing Parliament in the wake of a national pandemic and his government’s own political scandal, Justin Trudeau said he wanted his government to reset. As a result, the Prime Minister delivered a speech from the throne on September 23rd that was supposed to outline the government’s priorities and focus in the upcoming parliamentary session. Such speech will trigger a vote of confidence for the government meaning that they will need to find support from opposition MPs to avoid heading into an election. Local Member of Parliament, Dan Mazier, has already stated that he plans to vote against the throne speech and that he has lost confidence in Justin Trudeau’s government.
“This was supposed to be an opportunity for the government to give Canadians confidence during the most uncertain time in our generation; instead it was a whole lot of vote buying and shallow promises that were regurgitated from their last throne speech as if a pandemic never happened” stated Mazier who attended the speech virtually. Mazier believes his constituents are worried about their kids going back to school, local businesses closing down, and are seeking a clear plan forward as infection rates rise. “I genuinely am upset for Canadians; there was no substance or certainty in the throne speech; there was no focus on the issues that matter most to the people I represent. Canadians deserve better from their government”.
Mazier is already hearing disappointment from constituents who expressed concern with the lack of attention to agriculture, forestry, national unity, or a plan to reign in government spending. He also noted that multiple constituents have reached out in fury after the government announced they would pursue further measures to ban firearms in the upcoming parliamentary session, something he says is another attack on law-abiding firearm owners.
The local MP did commend the government’s commitment to working with provinces to improve healthcare systems, advance Covid-19 testing, and protect vulnerable Canadians; however, he also cautioned constituents to not believe every promise they hear, noting that the same government failed to commit to increased health transfers after receiving requests from provincial governments. “Canadians need to remember that this government has a history of not delivering on their promises. They promised one million new jobs in their speech, which sounds great; but remember that they also promised to plant two billion trees in their last throne speech and not one single tree has been planted. I can assure you that it is a lot more difficult to create jobs than to plant trees” stated Mazier.
Mazier will be heading back to Ottawa this week where he will return to Parliament after months of shutdown. He plans to express his concerns on the government’s speech from the throne and challenge the government on their lack of support for rural Canadians and his constituents.