(Story By Brendan Pawliw)
If you weren’t a fan of Canadian politics before, you might become one very soon with all the drama expected to come out of Ottawa this fall.
A raucous sitting is expected according to Prince George-Cariboo Conservative MP Todd Doherty.
Politicians head back to work today after an eventful summer where the BC Wildfire Crisis was front and center.
One of the major topics of conversation will be cannabis legalization that is set to take place next month.
Doherty says the Liberals legislation on the issue is quite flawed.
“We’ve got police forces from right across this country that is not prepared in terms of testing devices or training to use the testing devices and we know the approved devices have a number of charter violations to it.”
He says policing is one top cost for municipalities with no direction given to places like Prince George on how the RCMP is to deal with legalized marijuana.
Another one of the hot topics will be the on-going trade squabble between Canada and the United States.
Doherty remains less than pleased with the lack of progress made in trade discussions.
“Obviously, NAFTA and the US tariffs being levied against Canadian producers and how those discussions have dithered away and have died on the vine so to speak.”
Doherty says the Liberals will also be forced to answer some tough questions, one of which will surround former Fisheries Minister Domenic Leblanc who granted an Arctic Surf clam license to a company linked to his wife’s cousin.
Canada’s Ethics Commission recently stated he broke conflict of interest rules.
Doherty believes it piles on to a laundry list of problems for the Justin Trudeau government.
“This is the third minister including the Prime Minister to be found guilty of ethics violations and now we have his most trusted minister and childhood friend being found guilty.”
“This is squarely on the Prime Minister as his mandate letters when he campaigned in 2015, he said this is going to be the most open and transparent government and we know now that campaign promise fell by the wayside.”
In turn, the Prince George-Cariboo representative says the country has seen increased debt since the Liberal party took office along with failed policies legislative agenda where the Trudeau-led government is more interested in introducing the softer pieces of legislation instead of the ones that matter.”