The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
On February 29 I was in Wabowden to take in events at the community's winter carnival. Not only did I get to see the ladies' and juniors' dog races and the King and Queen Trapper events, but I was able to visit with community members and catch up on all the news. I travelled to Shamattawa on March 2 to meet with Chief William Miles and councillors and to visit with constituents. I also enjoyed some time with the students and staff at Abraham Beardy Memorial School. On Friday, March 12, the Honourable Steve Ashton, Minister of Water Stewardship and MLA for Thompson, and I joined the Honourable Christine Melnyk, Manitoba's Minister of Family Services and Housing, as she announced funding from the Canada/Manitoba Affordable Housing Initiative in Thompson. The initiative will benefit low income and moderate income Manitobans by providing up to 2,500 affordable housing units in Manitoba in the next five years. March 16 was a perfect day for travelling to Tadoule Lake to visit throughout the community. March has been a very busy month in Ottawa. On March 23 the Liberal Government brought down its pre-election budget. This budget was supposed to be for Education, Innovation, and Communities, yet offered little in the way of real funding for any of these important issues. The budget failed to deal with the staggering debt loads students are forced to face when they graduate from college and university. See 'Primary' P.# Con't from P.# It failed to meet the needs of Canadian women by providing virtually no funding for health, housing, or child care. Women, as primary caregivers, are often left to shoulder the responsibility of these services when the government fails. The budget also failed the First Nations people and communities. After stating that Aboriginal communities can only be described as "shameful" in the Throne Speech. Martin offered nothing to improve the immediate needs of individual First Nation members and their communities. The budget offered no increase in funding to address the housing crisis, improve access to clean water, and increased education costs. The various house committees are back to regular hearings and schedules. The Transport Committee, which I have the privilege of sitting on, has been hearing from a number of witnesses on topics ranging from airline security to changes in the regulations concerning flight attendants. Present regulations require one flight attendant for every 40 passengers. The government is trying to change these regulations so airlines only need one attendant per 50 travellers. These proposed changes clearly raise concerns about passenger safety. The government has not been open about how the decision-making process is being undertaken in regards to this issue. I had the privilege this month to attend the launch of the Sisters in Spirit Campaign. Sisters in Spirit is a campaign organized by the Native Women's Association of Canada to end violence against Aboriginal women. The Campaign also seeks to honour the memory of the more than 500 Aboriginal women who have gone missing throughout the country. If you are interested in more information on Sisters in Spirit please visit www.sistersinspirit.ca. I also had the opportunity this month to meet with representatives from the Canadian Wheat Board to discuss rail access and freight costs. Also this month I once again chaired the Canadian National Prayer Breakfast. The annual meeting was a well attended success. As always, please don't hesitate to contact any of the offices with questions or comments regarding federal government matters. Thompson 204-677-1333 or toll free 1-888-260-2231, The Pas 627-1440, Sagkeeng 367-6150.
