Anderson Reflects On First Year Of Conservative Majority Government

It's been just more than a year since the Conservatives won a majority government in the last Federal Election, and our local Member of Parliament says there has been a lot of progress in the last 12 months.

Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP David Anderson said some of the highlights of the past year include passage of the bill to remove the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on grain sales, which was one of the first things they promised to do after forming government, “It was interesting in the farm community, people that really moved on they come back and are just very happy about the way things are going in agriculture right now. Prices have been up in every commodity, we don't hear the kind of talk we did a few years ago about more farm programs.”

Anderson adds that Harper did a great job with the minority, but over the last year, there has been more certainty in the government, “When we bring bills we know that they are going to go through, we're going to be able to bring them around, they go to committee we can get them through committee without foolishness taking place. It's been good for Canada to have that stabability after several minority governments”

Now he says part of their focus will turn to improving the environmental assessment process, “There's going to be a big impact in Western Canada because a lot of projects have been held up because of the environmental assessment process. For our part of the world it's a good thing, those of us that depend on resources just going to be another way to move ahead here.”

Anderson adds they won't be weakening any environmental demands or restrictions, but believes the process can be done a lot more quickly and smoothly.