OTTAWA – Canada’s Government commenced the 2nd Session of the 39th Parliament on October 16, 2007 when the Governor General delivered the Throne Speech.  For the past twenty months, the Conservative Government has been taking action and getting things done for Canadians.  The Throne Speech outlined a new set of priorities that will become their focus for the new session. 

“I am very pleased with our new targets as I feel these are issues that are important to all Canadians,” said local MP James Rajotte.  “We have been delivering concrete results and have been accountable to all Canadians, and we will continue to do so in this new session.” 

In this session of Parliament, the Government will continue to pursue clear, achievable goals that promise real results.  The five priorities will be:

• Rigorously defending Canada’s sovereignty and place in the world including through the realization of a strong Arctic vision and a responsible, effective path forward in Afghanistan.

• Strengthening the federation and modernizing its democratic institutions through measures including formal limits on federal spending power and long overdue reform of the Senate.

• Providing effective economic leadership and a prosperous future by aggressively moving forward with broad tax relief for all individuals, families and businesses.

• Tackling crime and strengthening the security of Canadians by reintroducing important crime legislation with the new Tackling Violent Crime Act, and by turning a strong focus to safe communities and youth and property crime.

• Improving the environment and health of Canadians by continuing to deliver realistic and achievable results in areas such as environmental enforcement and product and food safety.

Mr. Rajotte comments, “I am particularly pleased that our government is responding to the concerns of Canadians on crime by combining five bills from the last Parliamentary session into one comprehensive bill, the Tackling Violent Crime Act.”

This new bill will include measures on: imposing mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes; enforcing tougher bail rules when a gun is used to commit a crime; increasing the age of consent for sexual activity from 14 to 16 years; cracking down on drug-impaired driving; and ensuring that high-risk and dangerous offenders face tougher consequences when they are sentenced and are kept better track of to prevent the from offending again and again.

“With this particular bill, and with our work in these five priorities, we will continue to work to build a better, stronger, safer Canada,” says Rajotte.

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For further information, contact James Rajotte (613) 992-3594 or (780) 495-4351