Showcasing Strathmore

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Hello Strathmore! I am saddened to begin my column by sending my love and condolences to the family of my dear friend, MP Deepak Obhrai. Mr. Obhrai, who was born in Tanzania, was the longest-serving Conservative MP, and known as Dean of the Caucus.
He was the first and only Hindu elected as an MP in Canada. A young and vibrant 69, liver cancer took this beautiful soul too soon. A fighter for human rights, this was a great man of integrity and kindness who stood up for people with passion and grace. He would write personal letters to new Canadians and he advocated for immigrant rights across the country. Our family has lost a friend and a brother, a passionate advocate and a truly beautiful person. We join with millions of Canadians in sending our deepest condolences to a great Chestermereian, Albertan and Canadian, the Honourable MP Deepak Obhrai.
I would also like to send my love and condolences to the victims, families, and survivors of the El Paso and Dayton shootings. Please remember them in your prayers.
I was thrilled to meet so many of you at the Strathmore Stampede this past weekend. If you want to get “grit in your teeth” close to great rodeo action and enjoy a host of other family friendly events you can’t beat the Strathmore Stampede. I had the honour of participating in the parade. As usual, Elvis The Wonder Dog stole the show along with the beautiful horses pulling my friends Vern and Connie’s wagon. I would like to thank them and all the other volunteers who joined me at the parade and after for our joint barbecue with MP Martin Shields. Kudos to Tessa and the rest of the Strathmore Ag Society who organized another great Stampede. Our agricultural societies connect us with the past and present of Alberta’s vibrant agricultural heritage.
Don’t forget to head to Pioneer Acres in Irricana, Where History Comes Alive, August 9-11 for their 50th anniversary featuring horses and horse-drawn equipment. Come see the teams and the equipment that helped build Alberta, with a dedicated bunch of volunteers to answer all of your questions. Pioneer Acres is a labour of love and it shows.
Did you know that our oilsands have reduced their emissions by 30 per cent per barrel just in the last 20 years? What is remarkable is that there are campaigns, including federal campaigns, that are trying to continue the landlock of our resources. This is just beyond my comprehension. These eco-activist groups are stomping on your quality of life and that of developing countries around the world. This includes the federal Liberals. How did our industry become so politicized? We need to work within our confederation to resolve this issue. No matter how many carbon taxes or caps on production we do provincially or federally, we will never satisfy the activists that are trying to shut down the cleanest, most responsible producers in the world. Can we do better? Of course we can, and we should and we will, but to constantly attack Canada is a detriment to the world, to human rights and to Canadians, so let’s stop with nonsense and focus on what we can do together. The anti-oil Trudeau Liberals cannot expect Canadians to truly believe that they have our best interests at heart, and it will take all Canadians to stop this anti-prosperity agenda. Well drilling is down, the purchase of TMX by your tax dollars has done nothing to restore investor confidence, and the passing of the “no pipelines” bill C-69 along with the “oil tankers are fine unless they are carrying Alberta oil” bill C-48 has brought nothing but uncertainty, but we will keep at it, and we will not back down. The Trudeau government is anti-oil, anti-gas, anti-prosperity, and anti-Canadian when it comes to Alberta. Where is the rhetoric against the Port of Vancouver, the largest exporter of coal in North America? Why are we the target?
As always, I love to hear from you at 403-207-9889 or Chestermere.Strathmore@assembly.ab.ca.
(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore, Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism)