Hoping for a wonderful September

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Hello Strathmore Times readers! As we head into the fall, I hope you had a chance to spend some time with your family and friends on the few days of actual summer we had this year. It has certainly been a wet and cool one, so hopefully we will have some lovely days in September.
Have you ever used one of the food apps like Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats or others? We are seeing life become more “on demand” and as demand increases, the more convenience we will demand. Did you know that protocols for high schools have had to change because of the numbers of orders that are being made by school aged kids that use these food apps? It is instant and it is easy, and it is changing the way we live our lives. Look at the article from the Financial Post called “Anticipating the future of on-demand delivery” by Mark Shelling. The numbers in sales will really surprise you, and it is through these apps that people have many things at their fingertips.
Let’s speak a moment about cannabis. This is another sector that is growing – no pun intended – at warp speed, and some market watchers are claiming that CBD sales will reach as high as $22 billion in sales in the next few years (Financial Post – “Why the CBD market is booming” by Meher Ally).
The article goes on to say that in the United States, when the Agriculture Improvement Act was passed, which in essence legalized hemp and hemp products for use in the medical field, the idea of alternative medicine really resonated with many people, especially those who are suffering with epilepsy, and the associated seizures, pain management and many other impacts. In a world where opioids are taking our friends and family, and where chronic pain is being managed with drugs that can create severe addictions, we have to look at alternative methods to treat pain and increasing quality of life. It is an interesting article to read. A word of warning though: carrying CBD oil or other cannabis products can still get you denied entry or even banned for life from the United States.
A word about the GFL composting facility. Many of you have contacted me with your concerns. I have spoken to the Environment Minister and the Deputy Minister about issues associated with this operation, and we will be meeting with GFL in the very near future. Stay tuned.
Finally, I have been watching the Trudeau saga play out, and if this was not real, and if it was not impacting the country I love so much, I could almost laugh, and I would probably binge watch this drama on NETFLIX, but is not a drama, and this Prime Minister is playing with our lives and our well-being for real. The Ethics Commissioner of Canada is an independent office. This person administers the Conflict of Interest Act and the Code for our federal government. It was brought forward as part of the Federal Accountability Act in 2007 under PM Stephen Harper. Our present commissioner is Mario Dion. A set of obligations is set out for both for the Conflict of Interest Act and the Code that provide insight into prohibited activities that may involve conflicts of interest. This office belongs to Parliament, not any particular minister, the federal government or the Prime Minister. This assures independence and is key to ethical government. MLAs here in Alberta have similar rules. One of the many reasons this is necessary is to ensure that politicians don’t spend public money to help themselves, their relatives or friends. This forces us to recuse ourselves from discussions that could put us into a situation where we could see material benefit. This is what happened when federal finance minister Bill Morneau was holding assets outside a blind trust, and continues to do so as a loophole in Canada’s ethics law allows federal ministers to own mutual funds without disclosing them. And then there is our current Prime Minister. “No Prime Minister has ever been found guilty of violating ethics laws until Justin Trudeau offended twice,” according to a Toronto Sun article on Aug. 22: Oliver: “Trudeau’s latest ethical breach may be his last.”
The question burning for most of us is, has he actually committed a crime? Is this why he is not calling the election and instead campaigning on taxpayer dollars (sounds eerily reminiscent of Ms. Notley’s last campaign doesn’t it?).
The Prime Minister pleaded that is was for jobs. Well if that was the case, why has he destroyed 63,000 jobs in the oil and gas sector in Eastern Canada by destroying Energy East, the “No More Pipelines” bill C-69, and the “Oil Tankers Are OK Unless They Are Carrying Alberta Oil” bill C-48. Both these bills are now law and will hurt Canada’s economy. SNC-Lavalin’s jobs would have gone to another business, and we know this. A Prime Minister is not above the law, and if the RCMP launch an investigation, we will find out if there was an obstruction of justice.
In the meantime, what needs to change so that government is not above the people in the country that they are privileged to represent? How do we stop efforts by a Prime Minister to discredit public prosecutors, and more importantly to attempt to influence the crown’s own litigator, Ms. Wilson-Raybould? This lacks integrity, ethics and any genuine understanding of the privilege that comes with being the leader of the best country in the world. The question that all Canadians should be asking themselves is, does Trudeau deserve to be re-elected? I know how I feel, and I will be out and door knocking.
I would also like to thank the amazing folks of Chestermere-Strathmore for their patience with us as we set up our offices. We will be serving you in Chestermere at the Synergy building, in Langdon and in Strathmore. Please call 403-207-9889 (Strathmore 403-962-0126) for an appointment as quite often staff are out and about in the riding helping our constituents. As always, we love to hear from you.
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore, Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism)