A busy start to 2021

By Martin Shields Member of Parliament Bow River Riding

The year 2020 is finally behind us, and 2021 has been off to a busy start. From pandemic lockdowns, vaccine distribution issues, to international events, the airwaves have been filled with news about a wide variety of serious subjects. 

Over the past months, I’ve raised issues in Ottawa like our resource industry, challenges facing our agricultural sector, government spending, guarding our basic Canadian freedoms and our relationship with China. Many of these issues continue to be front and centre in 2021, and I will continue to stand up for them in the House of Commons.

I have been in our riding since the House of Commons rose for the winter adjournment in December. Despite the lockdown measures, I’ve been able to visit locations across our riding and hold discussions while respecting provincial health guidelines. 

I’ve heard concerns about various issues facing our riding and our country, and I wanted to provide an update on what’s happening federally.

One of the most pressing matters we are dealing with federally is vaccine importation and distribution. My Opposition colleagues and I have pressed the government for months to be transparent about when the vaccines would arrive in Canada, and how they would be allocated to the provinces. The Prime Minister and his government have been slow to offer any concrete information over the past months. We are deeply concerned about the slow pace at which vaccines are being made available to those who want them. When Parliament resumes sitting, we will be fiercely holding the government to account on this issue in the House of Commons.

The government also promised in their fall economic update that loans would be available to those operating business in highly impacted sectors, like tourism and hospitality, hotels, arts and entertainment. Since then, businesses still don’t know when they can apply, who will qualify or when funding will come. Businesses can’t afford to wait any longer – they deserve certainty and clarity from their government on whether or not they will get the help they so desperately need.

I also met recently with colleagues and newspaper industry experts to discuss something we don’t hear about as often: the state of community newspapers in this country. Weekly papers have been shrinking for years, and many in our province are in dire need of support. These papers are often the only way we receive news about what’s happening in our local communities, especially smaller ones. They are an important service that we do not want to see disappear forever. 

I have advocated many times in Ottawa for solutions to address the crisis some community newspapers are facing, but we have not seen any real action from this government to level the playing field for weekly papers. There are a number of potential options to keep local newspapers afloat, and my colleagues and I are considering them carefully. I would urge everyone to support their local papers as much as possible, so that future generations can continue to have access to quality local news about their hometown. 

I can be reached by email at martin.shields@parl.gc.ca. My Brooks office can be reached at 403-793-6775, and my Strathmore office at 403-361-2980. Please don’t hesitate to contact me.