Dear Friends,

I want to let you know that I share the frustration and outrage that many people across Northern Alberta have recently expressed regarding plans by the three opposition parties to take over the government of Canada without an election.  Your comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated and will continue to be important during the coming month.

Last week, in reaction to the Fiscal Update, the three opposition parties, including the separatist Bloc, decided they would defeat the new Conservative government (just one day after unanimously approving its Speech from the Throne) and ask the Governor General to install a Liberal-NDP coalition government supported by the Bloc.  However, this morning, our Governor General did not see this option as being to the utmost benefit of Canada and accepted the Prime Minister`s recommendation to prorogue Parliament until January at which time the Government will have a chance to present its Budget.

This is an opportunity for all Canadians to step back and look at the facts. Stéphane Dion recently led his party to its worst election result in Canadian history, and was subsequently forced by his own party to announce his resignation. This has led many Canadians to ask themselves how Liberals can suggest that someone they determined was not good enough to be their own party leader, is suddenly good enough to serve as Prime Minister of Canada.

People have also been asking themselves how an unstable 114 member separatist coalition could possibly be good for Canada.  Ironically, separatists in Quebec are asking the same question – how can their party simultaneously pursue the break-up of Canada while participating in its ruling coalition?

In addition, during the recent election campaign, Dion categorically ruled out the possibility of a Liberal-NDP coalition saying that NDP policies would damage the economy.  Now the opposition says that they are forming a coalition because of the need for immediate action on the economy. The problem with this explanation is that a new coalition government could not possibly move as quickly as the current Conservative government that has already:  cut income, corporate and consumption taxes; delivered billions in liquidity to financial markets and export industries; been working with the Ontario Liberal government to avoid disaster in the auto industry; has made the largest, economy-stimulating, infrastructure investment since WWII, promised to double federal infrastructure spending in 2009; and has promised to deliver its 2009-2010 Budget in January – an unprecedented two months early.

On the local front, I have been working with Minister Baird, Minister Prentice, and Minister Flaherty towards approval of funding and infrastructure projects in Northern Alberta in order to provide a better quality of life for our residents, stimulus to our oilsands industry, our secondary industries and the Canadian economy as a whole. This would all be jeopardized by a change in government.

For these, and many other reasons, I never believed the Liberals, NDP and Bloc when they said they were making this power-play for the good of Canada.  Opposition politicians have the right to dislike Prime Minister Harper but that cannot be used as justification to concoct a backroom deal to replace a government that was elected fairly and justly by the people of Canada.

This past week, we saw the opposition parties attack our democratic system. A large number of Canadians expressed their belief that, in the long run, the actions of the opposition parties and the formation of a separatist coalition would benefit neither the parties, the economy, nor Canada.

At this point, I can only hope that the declared prorogation of Parliament will provide time for reasonable thought and selfless action for the best of Canada.

Please continue to make your opinions known and to fight for your right to democracy.

Sincerely,

Brian Jean, MP
Fort McMurray – Athabasca