OTTAWA REPORT

May 21, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Lois Brown, MP
Newmarket-Aurora

Welcoming Commander Chris Hadfield back to earth
Canada has welcomed our very own space pioneer Chris Hadfield back to earth following a five month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Chris has done an absolutely remarkable job as the first Canadian commander of the ISS. Commander Hadfield is the only Canadian to have boarded Mir, the Russian Space Station; the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit; and the first Canadian to perform a spacewalk—when he attached Canadarm2 to the ISS. His tireless and unique efforts to educate Canada and the world about the final frontier through social media are nothing short of inspirational and have helped rekindle the dreams and excitement for many of becoming an astronaut.

Experimental Lakes Area Agreement
A Memorandum of Understanding with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) concerning the future of the Experimental Lakes Area has been signed effective immediately. This agreement is the result of many months of confidential negotiations led by the federal government and is a major milestone in the transition of the facility to a third party operator. IISD is well-suited to operate the Experimental Lakes Area with excellent capacity, expertise and international reputation to take on this important work.

The Memorandum of Understanding provides a framework within which an agreement can be negotiated that will enable IISD to proceed as the operator of the unique, world-class facility. As an important part of this agreement, Fisheries and Oceans Canada will conduct a sampling program over the summer of 2013 as part of the transition to maintain important scientific research and ensure that long-term data sets can continue uninterrupted. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will work with scientists who have active research at the Experimental Lakes Area to support their needs for the upcoming summer research season, including monitoring activities and requirements to access their equipment.

Food Safety Improvements
Our government unveiled its Safe Food for Canadians Action Plan. Over the next two years, the Action Plan will further improve Canada’s food safety system by strengthening food safety rules, more effective inspection, a renewed commitment to service and more information for consumers. As a first step, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is strengthening some of its beef safety rules including new mandatory requirements to strengthen the control of E. coli in federally-registered beef plants. These plants will also be required to label mechanically tenderized beef cuts, such as steaks or roasts as tenderized, and include cooking instructions.

Removing Illegals
Thanks to Minister Kenney’s immigration reforms, Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Mohammad has finally been removed from Canada. Mr. Mohammad was first found to be inadmissible to Canada on the basis of misrepresentation shortly after entering Canada in 1987. He was subsequently found ineligible to make a refugee claim because he had been a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and convicted in Greece of participating in a terrorist attack on an Israeli plane, which killed an Israeli citizen in 1968. Astonishingly, this convicted terrorist was able to use numerous and repetitive appeals and loopholes under Canada’s old, broken immigration system to remain in Canada for 25 years. Fortunately, recent reforms to Canada’s immigration system finally enabled his removal. I congratulate Minister Kenney for his hard work in ensuring that individuals like Mr. Mohammad, whose heinous crimes and misrepresentations mean they are not legally admissible to Canada, are identified and removed.

Youth Employment
The Canada Summer Jobs program is helping employers in Newmarket-Aurora create summer job opportunities for students, while strengthening our community’s economy. In total, Canada Summer Jobs will provide up to 36,000 important job opportunities and experiences for students across the country. Students will gain the skills and experience they need to be successful, now and in the future, while earning money for the upcoming school year.

Canada Summer Jobs is one part of our government’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES). With an annual budget of more than $300 million, YES helps youth, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop employment skills, find jobs and stay employed. Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes an additional investment of $70 million over three years to support 5,000 more paid internships, in addition to the extra $50 million that was invested to enhance YES through Economic Action Plan 2012. All of these initiatives help young Canadians get vital work experience that will help them enter the workforce and stay there.

If you would like to contact me on these or any other issue, please call 905-953-7515 or visit my website at www.loisbrown.ca. I look forward to hearing from you.