Motz criticizes Liberals in year-end review

By Collin Gallant on December 22, 2017.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com @CollinGallant

The region’s MP says issues that are critical for southeast Alberta, namely international trade and energy projects like pipelines, will be at the forefront in 2018.

Glen Motz told reporters at a year-end press conference that he’s concerned with a number of issues with the Liberal government, but is pleased with his Conservative Party’s performance in the opposition benches.

“Trade, the economy and public security are three big issues that we’ll be looking at in 2018,” said Motz, the member for Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner.

“NAFTA is in peril, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is in peril and (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau has demonstrated an inability to influence on an international scale. In that forum, he’s been an embarrassment… We need to insure the approach we take is taken seriously.”

Motz cut into the Liberals on pipeline approvals, energy and also immigration files that includes a raft of illegal border crossings by asylum seekers since the summer.

He also said it was troubling to have conflict of interest controversies involving Trudeau and finance minister Bill Morneau.

“They’re the two most important positions in government,” he said.

In the past year the federal government has approved two major pipelines, but the West-Coast capacity increase by TransMountain is again being challenged by local landowners, Indigenous groups and local governments in British Columbia.

Ottawa is also in the midst of renegotiating with the U.S. and Mexico over the continental free trade agreement, but there’s been little concrete work done and most economists are still attempting to discern the goals of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Motz was named deputy to Public Safety Minister Pierre Paul-Hus, and he said the legalization of marijuana planned for 2018, and a plan to deal with Canadian fighters with ISIL are major issues that require work.

He was pleased with his party’s performance under new leader Andrew Scheer.

“I’m pleased with how he’s come out of the gate,” said Motz. “He’s set an exciting course for the Conservative Party and a vision for Canada and Canadians, and that’s still being developed.”

This summer the Conservatives and business groups lobbied hard against proposed tax changes for incorporated individuals who are counted and taxed as small businesses.

Eventually, that’s been scaled back, and Motz said that’s positive for small business owners and the general economy.

Specific to the riding, Motz said new round-table talks in the western stretches of the riding between local governments and Blood Tribe Reserve are positive.

He described the process in his fall newsletter and said again Thursday it’s important to find common ground and begin co-ordinating action on issues of crime prevention, well-being and the economy.

This winter, the government split the Indigenous Affairs portfolio into two sections, one for the reconciliation process and another for more day-to-day operations.

Motz said he’s interested to see how Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott performs in the roll.

Another large riding-specific issue was continuing containment of the bovine tuberculosis outbreak over the course of the year. He felt the work by four Conservative MPs from the greater region, their Liberal counterparts and federal inspection agency was a good example of non-partisanship benefiting residents.

Similarly, Motz said discussions between himself, local interests and the Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale have focused the issue of securing longer hours at the Port of Wild Horse, south of the city.

“We’ll wait and see but we’ve been having those conversations,” said Motz, adding that phased in improvements could resolve a long dispute about how to best increase hours at the border crossing.

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