March is Fraud Prevention Month. Get familiar with how to protect yourself here.

The new Call for Proposals launched today by the Minister is entitled Working in Partnership to End Violence against Women and Girls. It will provide funding for innovative projects at the national, regional, or community level that leverage partnerships to help to change the conditions that allow gender-based violence to exist.

Applications for funding are accepted online. Please click on “Start Now” and follow the instructions to proceed with your online application.

The deadline for applications to this Call for Proposals is noon (12:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time) on April 17, 2015.

Eligible organizations must address a number of project elements in their applications. Applicants are strongly urged to read the document entitled Is the Women’s Program the Right Match for Me? before submitting their application. In addition, survey results have shown that most successful applicants attended a Status of Women Canada information session. Consult your Status of Women Canada office to register for a session.

More information is available at women.gc.ca.

Funding through the Women’s Program

The Women’s Program of Status of Women Canada accepts applications for funding through calls for proposals, as well as on an ongoing basis. This allows Status of Women Canada to respond to emerging issues and increases opportunities for organizations to identify additional funding partners.

Projects funded by Status of Women Canada vary widely in their nature and scope, target populations, strategies and implementation.

All proposals are assessed against standard criteria which include eligibility, alignment with Program/Call for Proposal priorities, knowledge and experience of the applicant organization, partner collaboration, and budget.

Violence against women and girls

Women and girls are more likely than men to experience violence and abuse in intimate and family relationships. Recent statistics suggest that:

• Following three decades of decline, the spousal homicide rate remained stable in 2009, with women still being more likely to be victims than men. 
• Aboriginal women are almost three times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report being the victim of a violent crime. 
• Young women and girls experience the highest rates of violence. In 2011, rates of family violence against girls were 56% higher than for boys. 
• In 2010, more than seven out of ten (70%) victims of police-reported family violence were women or girls.
• Some forms of intimate partner violence appear to be on the rise. In 2011, women were 11% more likely to be victims of sexual assault than in 2009, and are more likely to experience sexual and chronic forms of abuse from their intimate partner than men. 
• Violence against women often goes unreported to police; approximately 30% of women victims of spousal violence report the incident to police. 
• A 2009 Department of Justice study found that the overall cost of spousal violence against women was $4.8 billion in 2009.

join local Veterans, community leaders, and fellow constituents at a Remembrance Day ceremony honouring Canada’s brave men and women on November 11th.

As in the past 4 years, a service will be held at the Esplanade prior to the march to the Cenotaph at the Riverside Veterans Memorial Park, where the wreath will be laid after a moment of silence.

The ceremony will build upon the important milestones marked by the Government of Canada this past year, including the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, the 75^th anniversary of Canada’s engagement in the Second World War, and the end of Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan. Between now and 2020, the Government of Canada will continue to commemorate the milestone anniversaries of Canada’s many accomplishments and sacrifices during the two World Wars.

Quick Facts

• Since Confederation, more than 2.3 million Canadians have served in Canada’s armed forces to defend freedom, democracy, and the rule of law – with more than 118,000 having given their lives.
• During the month of November, Canadians come together to honour those who have sacrificed to make our world a safer place. Learn more at veterans.gc.ca/iremember.
• Since 2006, the Government of Canada has invested $4.7 billion in new funding to improve the benefits and services provided to Canada’s Veterans and their families.

Quotes

“It is imperative that we recognize our Veterans and thank them for their sacrifices so that we can enjoy our freedom and our way of life. We should also thank all of our Canadian Forces members for their ongoing service to our great nation of Canada. Lest we Forget.”

Related Links

• I Remember: veterans.gc.ca/iremember
• World Wars Commemoration

The Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (CCUVS) announced July 24, 2014 that it has received the necessary approvals to manage a permanent area of Restricted Airspace in Southeast Alberta that is being created for the purpose of flying Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

This airspace designation is the first of its kind in Canada and will be available for UAS training, research and development for civil and commercial purposes. The airspace is particularly attractive for companies that wish to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) a capacity that opens up significant commercial opportunities. It is anticipated that flight operations could commence as early as the end of 2014

The Restricted Airspace results from more than six years work by the CCUVS in the partnership with the Village of Foremost, Alberta. With 750 square nautical miles of airspace designated up to 18,000 feet above sea level, Transport Canada and NAV Canada are now in the stages of writing up a Memorandum of Understanding to allow the necessary access to this airspace. The announcement is most certianly welcomed by the global UAS industry.

“This is a historic initiative, and a wonderful opportunity for the Canadian and International UAS operators to have a unique location to safely train, study and further develop technology in the UAS industry”

Celebrated the passage of Bill C- 30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act as it passed through the House of Commons.

This legislation will: Increase supply chain transparency, strengthen contracts between producers and shippers; and help ensure the entire grain handling and transportation system is working at the top of its capacity.

This Bill will amend the Canada Grain Act to permit the regulation of mandatory grain contract provisions, including those providing for financial consequences for contractual breaches, and the arbitration of disputes respecting those provisions.

This Bill will also amend the Canadian Transportation Act. Under the new provisions the Governor in Council, on the advice of the Minister of Agriculture, will be able to impose fines of up to 100,000 dollars per day on Canadian Pacific and Canadian National rail should they fail to move a minimum amount of grain.

This Bill will allow for the making of regulations to extend interswitching limits from 30 kilometres to 160 kilometres in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, providing shippers with more rail transportation options.

Sat for countless hours in extended meetings at the Agriculture Committee, and was able to ask questions of CP and CN officials that were present to testify on the Bill. He asked some tough questions to ensure that the railways understood the urgent necessity for their complete cooperation.

“I was able to support the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers act, both at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee, as well as in the House of Commons Chamber, voting in favour of the Bill. It is a privilege to continue to fight for the concerns of the farmers of Medicine Hat Constituency in the Parliament of Canada”.

For more information please contact the Ottawa Office.

I was distressed to learn of the decision to prohibit the Swiss Arms Classic Green Rifle.

As you are aware, the rifle was transferred from non-restricted to prohibited status by the RCMP on Thursday, February 27th.

The Minister of Public Safety, Steven Blaney is taking the appropriate actions to ensure that firearms owners who acted in good faith are not penalized. On Monday, March 3, 2014, Minister Blaney announced that he will bring forward  5 year amnesty to ensure that individuals in possession of these Swiss-imported rifles will continue to be able to possess their property without threat of criminal charges.

Our government will continue to strive to make Canada one of the safest countries in the world without penalizing law-abiding citizens.

Details of this amnesty will be made public in the near future, and I will continue to closely monitor this situation as will Minister Blaney to ensure the rights of gun owners are respected.

I have created a petition for you to print and sign along with your friends and neighbours who are concerned about this decision. Please ensure you have at least 25 signatures, otherwise it will not be admissible in Parliament.

“After much deliberation, the British Government has decided very wisely to extend the amount of time that the British Forces would be present in Suffield for the foreseeable future. I have corresponded with the current Minister of National Defence, The Hon. Rob Nicholson, as well as his predecessor, the Hon. Peter MacKay on a regular basis, and they both worked tirelessly to ensure that this would be the outcome.”

Worked with British legislators as well to ensure that BATUS would remain at CFB Suffield. This included correspondence with the Rt. Hon. The Lord Jopling, a legislator of the British House of Lords. Lord Jopling was dedicated to having BATUS remain at CFB Suffield, and appreciates his tenacity and continuing support.

“I will continue to advocate for CFB Suffield, as well as the sustained presence of BATUS at that facility. BATUS is an important local economic driver for our communities in southeastern Alberta, and this news means that it will continue to be an important local fixture for years to come.

I would like to inform you about a new program that our government has recently announced that may be of interest to your organization.

The Enabling Accessibility Fund 2012 is intended to support small projects that improve access to facilities, activities, and services to enable all Canadians to participate more fully in society.

The call for proposals was launched by Dr. Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, on August 21, 2012.

Eligible organizations can submit applications until October 5, 2012, and can receive up to 50,000$ per project.

Eligible activities include:

• constructing an interior or exterior ramp
• installing wider doors or automated door openers
• raising or lowering sinks and/or counters
• improving lighting and increasing colour contrast
• building an accessible washroom
• installing accessible door handles and light switches
• installing an elevator or lift
• providing computer enhancements such as interactive speech technology
• installing a wheelchair lift to a community-based vehicle
• any other activities that contribute to creating or enhancing accessibility for people with disabilities and are deemed acceptable by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

For information on the application process, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca/disability.

Summer is well under way, the crops have been planted and we have had a good amount of moisture and some sun and heat. I have driven around the riding and it appears we should have an excellent crop year for farmers if the hail doesn’t target the ripening crops.  With the drought in eastern Canada and the United States, crop prices continue to remain high.  Canada is the world’s fifth largest exporter of agriculture and food products, with last year’s exports hitting an all-time high of more than $40 billion!

We recently were fortunate to have had two of our Federal Ministers visit our Riding in July.  Minister Peter MacKay was here on July 9^th for a visit to CFB Suffield to announce two important infrastructure projects totalling almost $18 million, with the construction bid going to a local contractor. These two additions include a new Fire Hall and Control Center for field operations.  Minister MacKay`s visit was very beneficial for our Riding.  A BBQ later that evening gave Minister MacKay the opportunity to visit with many of our constituents.

We also had Minister Gerry Ritz attend the BBQ in Medicine Hat, and visited with some people in the agriculture industry.  On July 10^th he travelled to Brooks for a round table discussion with farmers and ranchers who gathered from across our Riding.  This round table allowed them to have a one on one talk with the Minister to discuss some of their agriculture issues.  It also allowed the Minister to respond to their concerns and advise them of federal programs that would benefit them, as well as the long term agricultural outlook for the region and the country.  The Minister also discussed our government’s desire to open new markets around the world for our agriculture products and our efforts have resulted in new free trade agreements which have already been signed by our Conservative Government.  This round table event was very successful and we received many positive comments from the farmers and ranchers who attended.

Our Conservative Government has recognized the necessity of opening new markets for Canadian products around the world.  For Canadians to prosper, we cannot simply rely on our major trading partner to the south.   This has motivated us to ensure that we continue our efforts to open bilateral talks with other countries.  Talks to initiate free trade negotiations with the European Union, India and now the Trans Pacific Partnership countries, are an important step for Canada.  For this reason, we continue to prosper and grow our markets and improve our standard of living. The world seems to be getting smaller and more competitive and Canada must be at the forefront to secure access to these markets for our products.

A Special Committee has been established to review Co-operatives, as this is the International Year of Co-operatives.  The first meeting was held in June of this year and subsequent meetings were held in July.  I am pleased to be a member of this committee and have been in Ottawa this summer to hear testimony from approximately 50         Co-operatives and Credit Unions, as well as with a few other organizations, some non-profit organizations and the Farm Credit Corporation.  We heard of the successes of these co-operatives and credit unions and how they have helped create jobs and grow our economy and, in addition, provide much needed services to their members.

The Medicine Hat constituency, including the urban and all the rural communities in our Riding, are important to me so I am pleased to listen to your issues and concerns. In this way I am better able to communicate your concerns to our federal government.

I am grateful for your continued support and thank you for your comments and suggestions on how we can make our country better for all of us.