In the first ever tele-townhall for the Wild Rose constituency, member of Parliament Blake Richards answered questions from residents on Monday (Jan. 21) concerning a variety of issues such as natural resources, privatization of local hot springs and the federal government’s commitment to achieving a balanced budget.
Using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology, the MP engaged in a public question period where more than 3,700 people from across the constituency were contacted and asked to participate. Submissions sent via e-mail were also addressed in the hour-long conference.
Several of the questions put to Richards during the conference dealt specifically with the country’s natural resources, predominately the oil and gas industry and potential impacts on the environment.
“We do have to look at all the various opportunities that exist to get our resources to market,” Richards said when asked about his view of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry Alberta crude oil to refineries along the Gulf Coast.
“Without doing that there’s billions of dollars being left on the table and I think for those that invest in our oil patch and those thousands of Canadians that have good jobs and rely upon it, they deserve to see us doing our best to move forward,” he added.
After a question was asked about what the federal government is doing to address the increasing threat of global warming, Richards pointed to the scientific research behind these claims as well as making sure whatever decisions made are best for the economy.
“I believe we have to make sure our economy is important and as a government it’s been our prime focus, but we also have to make sure our environment is an important issue and the legacy we leave for future generations,” he said.
“When we make decisions about global warming, we make them based on scientific fact and not on fear mongering,” he continued. “Our government’s plan is to reduce total emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by the year 2020.
“We’ve already reached the halfway point. We’re continuing to implement a sector by sector approach and what that means is we’ll be regulating in key areas and working with our friends and allies in the United States.”
Richards cited the initiative to raise fuel efficiency standards in vehicles as one of the ways in which the Canadian and American governments are working together.
One caller during the conference asked the MP about his view regarding the privatization of hot springs in Banff, claiming it would lead to poor service, loss of jobs and higher user fees and costs to the government.
“There’s many examples out there of having a private operator run something that can certainly be done more efficiently than a government or by a government agency,” he responded.
“When we talk about privatization, this isn’t a selling off of the hot springs,” he added. “What we want to do is ensure we’re delivering the best value for taxpayers’ money.
“It was deemed that a private operator would be an opportunity for some savings to taxpayers so Canadians can continue to enjoy the hot springs in our national park and do so in a way that’s done in the most efficient manner as far as taxpayer resources.”
The topic of a balanced budget for the country also came up during the conference, where Richards outlined the government’s goal of reaching that target as well as to cut spending.
“When I look at last year’s budget in 2012, we announced $5 billion in spending reduction over three years,” he said. “What we’re doing is we’re targeting inefficient, outdated or redundant programs and looking at ways in which we can reduce the size of the public service.
“Our objective is to get there prior to the next federal election,” the MP added about having a balanced budget. “It’s important we recognize our government is not an island and that global economic conditions will play a role in meeting that goal.”
Richards used the federal government’s plan to cut down the amount of regulations and red tape for businesses as a way of helping grow the economy.
“I think it really reflects upon the thoughtful and quality of people we have in this constituency and I’m proud to be your representative in our government,” he said at the end of the conference. “In our riding we have people who really care about (their) country and its future.”
