First of all, my congratulations to Mayor Bob Bratina, Councillor Rob Pasuta and Councillor Judi Partridge. I look forward to working with all of you toward the growth of the local economy and our communities.

Judi has been a tireless champion of Flamborough for decades and I’m very pleased that we’ll now work more closely together as elected representatives.  And Rob’s reputation for bringing common sense to city hall discussions, and for just plain getting it done, certainly precede him – which is no doubt why he went uncontested in the election. What a great team for Flamborough!

Back in Ottawa, there were two developments last month that I’d like to touch on.

First, the government the Government of Canada introduced the Preventing Newcomers from Abusing Canada’s Generosity Act. This is a tough but fair Bill that will give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on human smugglers and ensure the safety and security of Canadians. Its purpose is to stop abuse of Canada’s immigration system like we saw take place during the summer when the illegal migrant vessel the MV Sun Sea docked on our west coast.

In a nutshell, the Bill focuses on ensuring law enforcement have the tools they need to crack down on human smugglers as well as deterring illegal migrants from using human smugglers to come to Canada.

Canada has a long and proud tradition of welcoming newcomers. We welcome almost a quarter of a million each year, including refugees. But while Canada is a generous and compassionate country, Canadians are not naïve and we are not pushovers. Unfortunately, our immigration system has come under attack by human smugglers.  

The second point of note is the report released on October 26 by Auditor-General Sheila Fraser that found the government’s stimulus program was run in an efficient and timely manner – being launched with necessary speed to respond to the global economic crisis.  Ms. Fraser has a reputation as a tough customer, so I’m pleased to hear her report confirms that such a large expenditure oftaxpayers’ money was well-administered and purposeful.

One final note on Veterans’ Week next week: please take two minutes to remember on November 11.

It’s the very least we can do for those that gave so much for our freedom and to uphold the Canadian values we hold so dear.