Duane Hicks
Pre-budget consultations and working with a new Northern Ontario Liberal caucus are just two of the items on the agenda for rookie Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Don Rusnak to kick off 2016.
The federal finance department will be coming out with pre-budget consultation packages this month, so MPs will be speaking with municipalities and other officials on what they would like to see in the 2016 federal budget.
Rusnak said he hopes to get to Fort Frances, Rainy River, and Atikokan for consultations before the House of Commons resumes Jan. 25, but that will depend on when they get the packages.
Rusnak also is one of the seven MPs comprising the Northern Ontario Liberal caucus, along with Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay-Superior North), Paul Lefebvre (Sudbury), Bob Nault (Kenora), Anthony Rota (Nipissing-Timiskaming), Marc Serré (Nickel Belt), and Terry Sheehan (Sault Ste. Marie).
Serré is serving as chair.
The caucus has been meeting since Dec. 1 to address priorities and issues in the region.
“There’s some extremely important work that’s going to be done through the northern caucus,” said Rusnak.
“One involves certain aspects of the forest industry—that has major some impacts for Fort Frances, of course,” he noted.
Rusnak said the caucus also met with Resolute CEO Richard Garneau and a Unifor rep “regarding the mill [in Fort Frances] and where they were at, and the support they would need.”
“We’re going to support them 100 percent and we hope to have an announcement shortly,” he hinted.
Rusnak said the caucus also is committed to giving New Gold’s Rainy River Project north of Barwick all of the support it may need to go forward.
The caucus is committed to playing an active role to implement the Trudeau government’s agenda, which includes infrastructure investment, social housing investment, broadband Internet access, and job creation in Northern Ontario.
During its Dec. 8 meeting, caucus members reviewed the list of priorities, which include the “Ring of Fire,” the Trans-Canada Highway, infrastructure spending, social housing and affordable housing, and FedNor as an agency.
Others were broadband high-speed issues, local railway passenger services, railway safety, and the possibility of re-establishing a steel caucus with a manufacturing involvement.
The idea behind the caucus is for the seven MPs to make sure issues in Northern Ontario are taken into consideration, and that all of the ministers and staff are aware of them.
Rusnak was elected in the Oct. 19 election, sworn-in on Nov. 16, and hasn’t slowed down since then.
The new session of Parliament started Dec. 3 and ran through Dec. 11.
The Trudeau government immediately got to work with budgetary items, including lowering the tax rate for middle-class Canadians while raising the tax rate on those who make more than $200,000.
“The highlight was passing laws in that brief time, perhaps more than an any other government in living memory,” Rusnak said.
“We’ve done more work in a shorter period of time than anyone.
“There were colleagues, including ourselves, without offices and we were in the House doing work,” he chuckled.
“We got to work right away and the hard work continues.
“There’s a lot of positive things the government committed to during the election campaign, and we’re looking forward to getting to work and getting these things we promised implemented,” added Rusnak.
After a short break for Christmas and New Year’s, Rusnak got back at it Monday.
Fellow MP Patty Hajdu just opened her office in Thunder Bay, where Rusnak and his staff are just finalizing opening the first of three offices across the riding.
“We’re just waiting on our lawyer to get back to us with the leases for Atikokan and Fort Frances,” he explained.
Once the leases are signed, the offices are in the hands of government services, which will set up phone lines, Internet, and other services.
The Fort Frances office, which will be located above the Northern Lights Credit Union, and the one in Atikokan will be open before the end of the month.
Rusnak and his team also have been setting up lines of communication.
The public can follow him on Facebook at “Don Rusnak Member of Parliament,” as well as on Twitter: @DonRusnakMP
These two platforms are being used by Rusnak to let constituents know what he’s doing.
Those that want to communicate with him and his office should e-mail him at Don.Rusnak@parl.gc.ca
Alternately, they can write letters to Rusnak at Don Rusnak, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0A6
Mail may be sent postage-free to any MP.
Phone numbers for his offices soon will be available. The temporary phone number is 1-807-633-1363.
Rusnak anticipates visiting the west end of the riding as often as possible, attending community events throughout the year.
