In case you missed it, our country’s elected officials returned to the House of Commons last week as Parliament resumed and Members wasted no time getting down to the business of the people.

Of the many matters before the 338 individuals representing Canadians from coast to coast to coast, several caught my attention.

There was of course the news that the Liberal government gave approximately $50 Million of our tax dollars to Mastercard, a company that raked in $16 Billion in 2019.

Yes, that is billion with a “B.”

Then there was word that the Liberals were to require the “free” press to first obtain a government license before being authorized to report the news.

And here I thought it was 2020, not 1984.

Speaking of all things Orwellian, last week also saw the Liberals continue to forge ahead with their plans to forcibly confiscate the private property of hundreds of thousands of licensed firearms owners.

This, despite both the City of Toronto and the RCMP Commissioner separately stating that banning guns from law-abiding Canadians will do nothing to stop the criminal use of firearms, coupled with the news that a petition opposing the Liberals’ anti-democratic plans for Canadians’ guns became the most supported e-petition in House of Commons history.

But of particular local interest, there was also an opposition motion passed which called for an audit of the Liberals’ $187 Billion infrastructure fund.

Yes, again, billion with a “B.”

That’s a lot of money, but it would appear for all the talk of the investment the Liberals claim to have made in our public works, there is little yet to show for it.

You would think that all MPs, regardless of political stripe, would want to get to the bottom of this.

Yet the Liberals voted against the motion, including Yukon’s MP Larry Bagnell.

Why would he be opposed to asking the Auditor General to ensure our tax dollars are flowing in a timely and efficient manner, especially considering how crucial federal infrastructure investment is in a small jurisdiction like the Yukon?

Initiatives such as the planned Gateway Project would inject close to $250 Million of federal money into our economy, and bring massive benefits for our territory and those Yukoners employed during its construction.

But beyond a mere $17 million announced last month with no timeline attached, two and a half years later the real money has yet to materialize, and the Liberals’ earlier attempts to blame the delay on previous administrations or First Nations’ capacity challenges lost any semblance of legitimacy when they won the 2019 election.

Remember that the Liberals campaigned they are “open and accountable” by default.

It’s time to be open and accountable to the tax payer, something Mr. Bagnell apparently voted against.

Jonas J. Smith
2019 Candidate, Conservative Party of Canada