Wetaskiwin MP Blaine Calkins made the following statement in the House of Commons on April 30.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party in its infinite wisdom has sent the member for Papineau into Lethbridge, Alberta, this weekend to teach Liberals how to win.
You heard me right, Mr. Speaker. The son of Pierre Elliott, the creator of the national energy program, is off to Alberta to teach Liberals how to win. That is like sending Colonel Sanders to an animal rights convention to lecture about the rights of chickens.
Just what will the member for Papineau preach to Albertans? Will he tell us more about the Liberals' plan for a culture war? Will he promote the Liberals' support for the long gun registry? Will he preach the virtues of a Liberal carbon tax? Will he tell Albertans about the Liberals' shutting the door forever to unilingual Canadians from serving their country on the Supreme Court? We would not be surprised. The member for Papineau already thinks unilingual Canadians are lazy.
Albertans and Canadians know that the Liberal Party just does not speak for them. That is because Liberals are not in it for Canadians; they are just in it for themselves.
These two letters to the Mr. Calkins were sent by e-mail to the Ponoka News in response to the MP’s statement.
Hi Blaine:
What a bunch of drivel! You would think you could find something more constructive to say as the Wetaskiwin representative in the House of Commons. Could it be that you are worried that Justin Trudeau can fill the hall in a high school in your hometown and so now you have to strike out against him?
No matter where Justin Trudeau appears in Alberta, young people flock to see him. Could it be that your government has lost its way with young people in this province? And in the country?
Way to go Blaine. Such a powerful representative you have become.
Roger C. Buxton, president,
Wetaskiwin Federal Liberal Association
Dear Blaine:
As a former vice-president, board director and membership co-ordinator of the Wetaskiwin Conservative Electoral District Association, board director for the Central Nova Conservative Electoral District Association, and campaign volunteer for your re-election in 2008; I wish to express my grave displeasure with your lack of insight in a recent statement to members of the House of Commons. I feel several points should be raised:
1) You voted for the largest budget in Canadian history and allowed our nation to be plunged $5.8 billion deeper into debt in 2008-09 and an estimated $55.9 billion deeper into debt in 2009-10, mortgaging the future of youth for generations to come; this despite being a member of a political party that criticized the economic principles of Brian Mulroney’s administration in the early 1990s.
2) You accuse the Liberals of wanting to raise taxes, however you voted for a bill that allowed a new HST tax (C-62, Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) Third Reading 2009-12-09) to be implemented in parts of Canada and your government broke a campaign promise by taxing income trusts.
3) You attack Mr. Trudeau for talking about youth related issues, but have ignored the concerns of young Canadians as climate change wreaks havoc on the global environment. (You voted against Bill C-311, Climate Change Accountability Act on 2010-04-14),
4) Your government has refused to support further funding for youth programs such as the Canadian Millennium Excellence Foundation (which rewarded hardworking, community-driven students with financial assistance in their post-secondary studies), while simultaneously approving billions of dollars in corporate welfare payments to some of Canada’s largest big businesses. Big business over students?
5) Culture War? It is the Conservative government that has alienated regions in Canada (like Newfoundland and Labrador over oil rights), voted against rights for the LGBT community, slashed funding to women’s groups, and gutted programs such as the Kelowna Accord that assist our Native communities.
Blaine, I would urge you to speak about issues pertinent to youth and our riding the next time you are given the privilege to speak in the House of Commons as our representative. We need someone who will stand-up for us in Ottawa, not cave into the ruthless political machine that is running the Harper government by using scripted attack lines.
It seems to me the Harper government looks a lot like the Mulroney government; remember what happened to those MPs who refused to listen to their constituents.
Kyle Morrow