Late in the night of June 21, the House of Commons began its summer break. What happens on Parliament Hill is often different than what goes on locally, so The Review contacted Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Member of Parliament (MP) Francis Drouin and asked him about the five greatest issues people are raising with him and his office staff.
Drouin said the number one issue is affordability and the cost of living and not ongoing concerns that other countries have been trying to interfere with Canadian politics and the democratic process.
“It’s not the Chinese interference, it’s not the foreign interference,” Drouin said.
He identified the difficulty employers are having accessing labour and the challenges many residents are having accessing housing as the second and third most common issues people inquire about.
“If you need labour, you need housing,” Drouin remarked.
“I believe in Canada, we need to change how we build houses,” he added.
Drouin expressed his support for plans by Nubuild to construct a manufactured home factory in Russell Township. He acknowledged the shortage of people in skilled building trades and the need for a stronger labour force if more housing is to be built for the people who need it.
He said a significant amount of housing policy and programs are up to provincial governments. The federal government is involved with housing through various financial incentives and programs offered through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
Climate change is what Drouin listed as the fourth most common issue constituents inquire about. He said people often ask questions in their effort to understand efforts to transition away from reliance upon fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.
The tourism industry is what Drouin listed as the fifth most common issue he is asked about. He is looking forward to a new start for the tourism industry in the region following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and said the federal government has created a new fund for agriculture-based tourism which will hopefully benefit Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.
Many local businesses and not-for-profit organizations rely on grants from the federal Canada Summer Jobs program each year to hire additional student staff for seasonal purposes. Not all applicants across Glengarry-Prescott-Russell were successful in receiving a Canada Summer Jobs grant this year and just $750,000 was allocated for the grants across the entire district.
“It’s always over subscribed,” Drouin said, meaning far more applications are received than funding is available to fulfill. Drouin urged applicants to contact his office when they submit the applications and emphasize the importance of the grant to the function of their business or organization.
Drouin said it is unlikely the federal government will order an Impact Study on the proposed cement plant near L’Orignal after two efforts to have the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change order a study.
“The information presented was not sufficient to say this warrant’s an Impact Assessment,” Drouin said.
He described the status of the proposed cement plant and quarry at the mitigation stage involving the company upholding its environmental responsibilities. The remaining involvement for the federal government with the project is for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to ensure there will be no effects on the fish and other aquatic life in the nearby Charlebois Drain.
Drouin emphasized the regulatory process is not the responsibility of politicians.
“It’s not a political decision,” he commented.
Drouin said he is concerned about the lack of engagement by Colacem, the company planning to build the cement plant, with the community. He is calling upon the company to show more interest in connecting with area residents.
Allegations of interference from China and other non-democratic countries have dominated Canadian political discussion this spring. A report by former Special Rapporteur David Johnston said no formal public inquiry was necessary to determine if there is foreign interference and the extent of interference. Johnston has subsequently resigned after facing criticism from opposition parties toward his report and alleged social links between him and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“It’s not unique to Canada,” Drouin said of foreign interference.
He said the United States, France, and United Kingdom have also been vulnerable to unwelcome influence over their politicians and democratic process.
Drouin cautioned that a full, public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada would be a challenge because highly secure information that cannot be shared publicly would be involved.
“We share top secret information with our allies,” Drouin said.
If the secret information was to become public, it could compromise intelligence cooperation Canada has with partner countries.
Drouin said MPs were not adequately notified if they were targets of foreign interference.
“There was a failure in terms of communication to Members of Parliament when they could be subjected to foreign interference,” he said.
Drouin believes the communication problem has since been rectified by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
The next federal election will not be until 2025, if the agreement the governing Liberals have with the NDP remains intact and the minority parliament lasts a full, four years. Currently, Drouin is planning to seek re-election for the role he has held since 2015.
“My heart’s still in it,” he said.”
Drouin did caution his political future will always depend on his personal obligations and family, but he remains committed to representing Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.
“I still enjoy serving the public,” Drouin said.
