MP SURPRISED BUT SUPPORTS PROROGUING OF PARLIAMENT " $ 5 6 " - * 5 4 r / & 8 4
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
constituents during the past months to describe how the pandemic situation has affected federal government priorities. “It’s hard to focus on something else in the barn,” he said, “when the cow’s stepping on your foot.” Proroguing Parliament also means all existing government advisory committees are abolished. Parliament resumes sitting September 23 with presentation of a Throne Speech to introduce the new session. Drouin noted that proroguing gives the government time to reassess and develop a new plan to continue dealing with the pandemic crisis, including a priority focus on economic recovery. He expects that will
investigation can continue if the committees wish it. “It (proroguing) does not kill a committee’s
power to bring back any issue it wants,” %SPVJOTBJEi*TVTQFDU JU 8& JORVJSZ XJMM be back somewhere.”
MP Francis Drouin was as surprised as everyone else by the early shutdown of the House of Commons but he sup- ports the prime minister’s decision to prorogue Parliament. “If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t hit,” said Drouin during a Thursday (August 20) phone interview, “I would have said it was a bad move.” The Liberal MP for Glengarry-Prescott- Russell noted that the pandemic has made a mess of all the government’s original plans for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The federal
focus had to shift to figur- ing out how to maintain existing government services while devising immediate pandemic action plans to provide emergency income as- sistance to Canadian
be the main focus of the Throne Speech, along with proposals for other issues that got pushed aside during the past few months while Parlia- ment was in pandemic mode.
“If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t hit, I would have said it was a bad move.”
—Francis Drouin
citizens left jobless, support the business sector and reduce the risk of a national depression, and also help provinces maintain public health systems, including finding sup- plies of personal protection gear for frontline workers and supporting COVID-19 vaccine research. Glengarry-Prescott-Russell is a rural riding JO&BTUFSO0OUBSJPBOE%SPVJORVPUFEBO expression he heard often from his farming
The MP also confirmed that all parlia- mentary committees are then revived and he dismissed Opposition allegations that proroguing Parliament is the prime minis- UFSTBUUFNQUUPTUPQUIF8&$IBSJUZJORVJSZ Drouin noted that the finance, ethics, and the government and operations committees will all reform in September, with Opposition MPs holding still the majority of seats on UIPTFDPNNJUUFFT)FPCTFSWFEUIBUUIF8&
MP Francis Drouin admits he was surprised along with everyone else by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision August 19 to prorogue Parliament. But the Glengarry-Prescott- Russell Liberal MP says the decision to shut down Parliament until September 23 is a good one because it will give the federal government time to reassess plans for dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation as well as develop new strategies and programs for dealing with other issues that got pushed aside during the early months of the pandemic. —archives
La réouverture sécuritaire des écoles nous tient tous à cœur.
C’est pourquoi, avec la collaboration de responsables de la santé, de conseils scolaires et d’éducateurs, le gouvernement de l’Ontario a élaboré un plan exhaustif qui permettra de veiller à la sécurité des élèves et du personnel.
• Des mesures visant le respect de la distance physique seront appliquées : séparation des pupitres, affiches, indications au sol et couloirs à sens unique. • Le port du masque sera obligatoire pour le personnel et les élèves de la 4 e à la 12 e année. • L’hygiène des mains sera renforcée grâce à la désinfection et au lavage des mains. • Il y aura plus de personnel infirmier dans les écoles. • Les mesures visant le nettoyage des écoles seront améliorées.
Payé par le gouvernement de l’Ontario.
Payé par le gouvernement de l’Ontario. Visitez ontario.ca/ReouvertureDesEcoles
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online