"$56"- * 5 r /&84
New GPR MP settles into his seat
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
have local offices in Rockland, Hawkesbury, Embrun, and Alexandria where residents can go to get help with information on fede- ral services or meet in person with Drouin when he is in the riding if they have particu- lar problems or issues of concern. Constituents can also contact Drouin by email using his election campaign email address at info@francisdrouin.ca until he gets an official MP email address. Other than having to rush right into an orientation session for newMPs the day after the Oct. 19 federal election, Drouin noted very few surprises for him during the past few weeks that he has been a rookie MP. During his time as a federal government employee he had seen several post-election transition periods when there was either a complete change in the federal government or the incumbent party was reelected but with some additions or subtractions in its seating lineup in the House of Commons. So as far as finding out when he will be able tomove into his own office onThe Hill, Drouin knows who to call based on his own past experience as a federal employee. «I’ve always called the receptionists,» he said, with a smile. «They’re usually the first to knowwho’s moved into their own office.» Which is handy for him since the new Liberal cabinet was sworn in earlier this month. Drouin is quite pleased with the first cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for two reasons. «At last we have a gender balance,» he said, «with some very impressive resumés all-round.» Drouin is also pleased with Ontario MP MaryannMonsef’s appointment as Minister of Democratic Institutions. He noted that the Peterborough-Kawartha MP reflects Prime Minister Trudeau’s «trust in youth» and his
efforts to foster greater interest in Canadian youth in government affairs. «Also, to me, the cabinet reflects the diversity of Canada,» Drouin said, noting that there is amix of veteranMPs like Ralph Goodale as public safetyminister, ex-astro- naut Marc Garneau as the new transporta- tion minister and Harjit Sajjan as defence minister. Drouin noted he expects to have frequent dealings with the new Agriculture Minister LawrenceMacAulay and the new Infrastruc- tureMinister Amarjeet Sohi on riding issues. «Infrastructure was a topic we talked about a lot during the campaign» he said, with particular note about the ongoing Highway 174\County Road 17 situation. During the next fewweeks until the end of the year, Drouin expects to be occupied with stakeholder discussion meetings he wants to have with municipal officials, non-profit groups, social service agencies, and others in the riding on issues and concerns. He made particular mention about meeting with officials fromall or as many of the food banks in the riding as are available. «They are the ones on the ground, so to speak,» he said, adding that food banks are the first local institutions to reflect any changes in the social or economic profile of an area. «It’s all tied together.» Regarding the first federal budget of the new Trudeau administration, Drouin ex- pects infrastructure will be one of the main priorities as promised during the Liberal election campaign. He brushed off as unimportant the li- kelihood he will receive a parliamentary secretary posting any time soon as part of the new government. «The day my personal ambition trumps my will to serve is the day I retire,» he said.
It seems almost like a Canadian stereotype but the new MP for Glengarry-Prescott- Russell spends a lot of his time talking to constituents at the local TimHortons. Since winning back the riding for the Li- berals last month, Francis Drouin has been occupied with getting himself settled in his occupation as Member of Parliament in the newTrudeau administration. He has not yet received his official office assignment on Parliament Hill and also has not received his MP operating expense allowance to set up local constituency offices because that does not happen until after the official swearing- in ceremony later this month for all theMPs. So, when he is not working on consti- tuency matters at home, Drouin can most often be found at a TimHortons, listening to comments, complaints, and questions from
MP Francis Drouin
constituents about issues and concerns they want the new Liberal government to address. «We’ve been hitting the ground at 100 miles an hour,» Drouin said, with a chuckle, as he joked about how busy he’s been as an MP even without an official office to call his own. «Right nowwe’re sort of in transition,» he noted about the changeover froma Conser- vativeMP situation for the riding to a Liberal MP now. «So I meet with people at home or in coffee shops.» One of his first priorities after the official swearing-in ceremony for himself and other MPs will be to use his constituency opera- tions allowance to reopen the four local riding offices in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell. Whether the four GPR offices will conti- nue at their old locations when Pierre Le- mieux was the MP or have new sites is not known yet. But Drouin confirmed he will
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City welcomes Korean Embassy The City of Clarence-Rockland is getting a big boost for its international profile with a special busi- ness summit gathering, scheduled for Nov. 26, with representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. The afternoon event at the River Rock Inn is part of the embassy’s own ini- tiative to extend cultu- ral and economic ties into the Eastern Ontario region. The meeting will include a discussion on the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement and on various potential business opportunities for both entrepreneurs in the region and in Korea. City officials are inviting local business owners to showcase their services or trade with kiosk displays or by setting up a pro- motional banner in the conference room. Interested business owners wishing to take part in the conference can contact Julie Char- trand at the city office at jchartrand@cla- rence-rockland.com or Martine Nolin-Simard, C l a r enc e - Roc k l and Chamber of Commerce general manager, at martine@pommanager.com, for more information before Nov. 20. – Gregg Chamberlain
ERIC MICHAEL HAWKS www.ericmichealhawks.com eric@ericmichealhawks.com
Would like to thank all of the local merchants who donated so generously.
Also a big thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers, I would like to thank all the artists and musicians for their great performances on saturday night, Jewel 92.5 and 107.7 and the Vision Newspaper. A huge thank you to Manon Cyr ( organizer ), to Ken St-Denis and to Roch Lafleur and Martin Vaillant for providing the lights and sounds. THANK YOU FOR A SOLD OUT SHOW @ AN EVENING OF COUNTRY MUSIC NIGHT II
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