Kenora MP Eric Melillo Weekly Column December 7-13
Dear Constituents,
I’ve enjoyed being back in Ottawa this week to fight for the Kenora riding in the House of Commons.
Canada needs a plan for vaccines
I gave a speech in the House of Commons in support of the Conservative Party’s Opposition Day motion calling on the government to present their plan for vaccine distribution.
As of this writing, the Liberal government has still failed to present a plan for distributing vaccines to Canadians. Canada ended up behind the U.S., the U.K., the European Union, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Indonesia for vaccine procurement. There are over 2.7 billion people in line before Canadians.
That means we’ll likely be watching our neighbours to the South get back to their normal lives, while Canadians will continue to get sick and to suffer economically, mentally, and socially.
It is time for this government to be transparent, be accountable, and bring forward a real plan to guide our country through the next phase of this health and economic crisis.
Support for Northern Airlines
At Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Tuesday, I had the opportunity to ask Nick Vodden, CEO of Perimeter Aviation, about the government’s pandemic response. He was very blunt – the Liberal government has not done enough to support Northern and remote airlines.
This is very concerning, considering how reliant many Kenora riding communities are on these airlines for transporting essential goods. That’s why I joined some of my Northern colleagues to write a letter calling for relief for remote airlines last spring; it’s a shame the government hasn’t acted yet.
My thoughts on the Liberal Fiscal Update
Last week, the government presented their economic update, which left many Canadians disappointed and concerned.
The Liberals announced a deficit of nearly 400 billion, not even half of which is accounted for by pandemic response programs. They also neglected to provide a plan for vaccine distribution, and they have no strategy to keep businesses open except for the status quo that is not working.
Canadians have followed public health advice and done their part to combat the virus – but now they’re struggling and they want their lives back. Instead of providing hope, the Liberal update only offered more uncertainty.
Canadians need clarity about what they can expect in the coming months. We need a plan to preserve and protect our economy and return to work safely. Under the leadership of Erin O’Toole, Conservatives will run a government that allows us to emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever.
Working for You
As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, or if you would like to arrange a meeting, please call me at 807-468-2170 (Kenora) or 807-223-2182 (Dryden) or contact me by email at eric.melillo@parl.gc.ca.
Sincerely,
Eric Melillo
Member of Parliament
