I was happy to hand out water to people in the inner city
With temperatures in Edmonton hitting 30C+ constituency office intern Josh Hui and I decided to hand out bottled water to folks in the inner city, many of whom are living on the streets.
Face masks are now mandatory in all indoor public spaces in Edmonton
Edmonton City Council has mandated the use of face masks in all indoor public spaces.
I’m of the view this is a call that should have been left to the province’s top health official, Dr. Deena Hinshaw.
Exemptions to this bylaw include:
- Children under 2
- Those who are unable to place, use, or remove a face covering without assistance
- Those with mental or physical concerns or limitations, or any other protected ground under the
Alberta Human Rights Act, that prevent them from wearing a face covering - Eating or drinking while seated in designated spaces or as part of a religious or spiritual ceremony
- Engaging in water activities or physical exercise
- Providing assistance or care to someone with a disability who would be hindered if the caregiver is
wearing a face covering - Engaging in services that require removal of the face covering (e.g., having a passport photo taken
or dental work, or personal care services involving the face)
Something’s wrong with the Liberals’ sweetheart WE Charity deal
Nearly every day more damning information comes out about the deal that would’ve handed hundreds of millions of dollars to a Liberal friendly organization.
On Thursday, the prime minister testified to the finance committee but as usual, didn’t actually answer any questions.
He couldn’t even answer how much his family has been paid by WE Charity, although he was asked that question directly several times.
Instead of taking responsibility for his conflict of interest, he’s throwing civil servants under the bus.
Yet, the timeline in this case paints a very clear picture of corruption at the highest levels of government.
The Canada Student Service Grant was announced on April 22.
However, a member of the Prime Minister’s Office spoke with WE about their proposal on May 5, the same day that WE was allowed to start charging expenses for administering the program.
Yet, cabinet didn’t approve the proposal until May 22 — two and a half weeks later!
So why was WE so sure that they were going to be approved?
To answer that, you only need to look at the cozy relationship between Justin Trudeau, Bill Morneau, the Liberal Party and WE.
Trudeau should have recused himself
By LORNE GUNTER
Sun Media
Here’s the line from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Thursday testimony before the House of Commons finance committee that best sums up what is wrong in the WE Charity scandal.
Trudeau claimed he only learned about the federal civil service’s recommendation to hand the WE Charity control of a huge student volunteer grant program a few hours before a cabinet meeting in early May.
He resisted, he said. Instructed the civil service to look things over a second time. Check that all the i’s had been dotted and the t’s crossed before they brought such a lucrative proposal back to cabinet two weeks later.
“I actually slowed it down,” Trudeau claimed of the WE proposal, “and pushed back on it to make sure everything was done exactly right because I knew questions would be asked about the links to my family.”
And there’s the important phrase. Not I “slowed it down” or I “pushed back,” but rather “I knew questions would be asked about the links to my family.”
(Read the full column by Lorne Gunter, Edmonton Sun here)
Last week’s straw poll results
Last week I asked folks views on the new name of the Edmonton Football Team.
It was a close race but in the end, Esks or Eskies was people’s top pick.
Thanks to everyone who filled out the survey.
Here’s the breakdown of what you had to say.
Have your say on cancel culture
Do you think cancel culture has gone too far? Have your say in my new unofficial poll. I’ll publish the results in next week’s e-newsletter.
Latest news on COVID-19
You can find up-to-date information from Alberta Public Health or the Public Health Authority of Canada.
Alberta Public Health can also be reached by phone at 811.
Benefits for Canadians
There are programs available to help you and your family.
Remember: The way the government set up CERB you need to reapply every four weeks.
In the news
- Edmonton city council passes bylaw to mandate masks in all indoor public spaces. Link
- Goldstein: China has unjustly jailed Canada’s two Michaels for 600 days. Link
- Don Martin: In a strange twist, Trudeau ignores his own red flags on the WE scandal. Link
- WE Charity spent more than $600,000 on U.S. political consultants, IRS filings show. Link
- Trudeau throws public service under the bus. Link
- WE employees say they were told to attend 2018 holiday party in Bill Morneau’s riding. Link
- Use of special paid leave by public servants ‘likely underreported’, says PBO. Link
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I want to hear from you
I’m always eager to hear from you. Do you have beefs? Bouquets? Suggestions?
Drop me a note at my e-mail address.
Please note our local Edmonton constituency office is currently still open to serve you but it’s by appointment only. We simply ask that you call ahead to book an appointment.
Call or e-mail us and we’ll be happy to serve you.
Thanks so much. Stay healthy!
E-mail:
[email protected]
Phone:
(780) 495-3261
Mail (postage free):
Kerry Diotte, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6