The Conservative MP for Huron-Bruce looks back at Parliamentary business in 2010 with satisfaction but says he’s ready for the challenges that await in the New Year.
Ben Lobb says even with the Harper government still in a minority position in the Commons it managed to move many important aspects of its agenda forward.
He says Canada has made better strides than most developed nations in emerging from the economic downturn that started in 2008.
Lobb says the focus for the Tory government continues to be putting unemployed Canadians back to work.
The Conservative “Get Tough on Crime” agenda was showcased in September when a ship carrying Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka was intercepted off the coast of British Columbia.
Lobb says the Harper government responded to the outcry in Huron-Bruce over the issue of human smuggling which the ship’s arrival pulled into sharp focus.
He believes new legislation to crack down on human trafficking will take time to be proclaimed into law but he’s pleased the government has moved quickly on the issue.
Lobb says some of the most challenging work on Parliament Hill this year came at the committee level.
Lobb is a member of the Public Safety Committee which is working on a number of bills.
Despite the government being in a minority position, Lobb says there has to be a spirit of give-and-take with the Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois to make sure meaningful legislation is passed.
The Conservative government earlier this month marked a milestone as the longest continuous minority government in Canadian history, surpassing that of the Liberals under Lester Pearson in the early 1960’s.
