Just before Parliament rose for the Easter constituency weeks four bills received Royal Assent.
The First Nations Financial Transparency Act is something that First Nation communities have long demanded. Like all Canadians, First Nations Peoples deserve accountability and transparency from their leadership.
Until this law was passed, First Nation governments operating under the Indian Act were the only level of government in Canada that is not obligated to make basic financial information public.
First Nation community members called for enhanced financial accountability and transparency. The legislation will ensure community members have access to basic financial information such as audited financial statements, and the salaries and expenses of chief and council.
The Financial Literacy Leader Act provides for the appointment of a Financial Literacy Leader (FLL) within the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) to strengthen the financial literacy of Canadians. It sets out the duties, powers and functions of the Financial Literacy Leader to enable him or her to carry out these activities, and builds our ongoing initiatives to protect consumers.
Financial decision-making is highly complex due to the variety of financial services and tools currently available to Canadian families. It is important to have access to clear and transparent information to make informed financial decisions.
Now our Government will proceed with the selection and appointment of an FLL, who will exercise national leadership to strengthen the financial literacy of all Canadians. The FLL’s mandate will be to collaborate and coordinate activities with stakeholders to contribute to and support initiatives that strengthen the financial literacy of Canadians.
The Succession to the Throne Act will provide Parliament’s assent to changes being made to the laws of Royal succession that will ensure the equal status of female and male heirs and that will allow heirs to marry an individual of any faith.
St. Lawrence Islands National Park has been renamed Thousand Islands National Park of Canada. The change allows for more effective advertising and will help people better identify where the park is located. It will attract more national and international travelers to the area, which will boost the local economy. The efforts of Leeds-Grenville M.P. Gord Brown, who says the name change movement was not new, led the effort to make this possible. It was recognized in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s that the name should be changed to better reflect the park’s location.
A new, more comprehensive guide and a new web tool to help newcomers settle and integrate in Canada was published recently. It hadn’t been revamped since it was first introduced in 1997. The guide features practical information on many different topics including how to access language classes, basic information about Canada’s education system, laws and the justice system, and the labour market.
As your Federal Member of Parliament, I am pleased to represent you on a variety of issues. Whether that issue is eliminating the long gun registry, promoting agriculture, international trade, Canadian Unity, AECL, the military or jobs in the working forest, I am here to serve you! As always, if you have any concerns of a federal nature, or just want to share your views with me, please do not hesitate to contact my office.