Later this week, the first session of the 41st Parliament begins in Ottawa—one that looks dramatically different from what existed before, with a newly-elected Conservative majority, an NDP Official Opposition (for the first time in history), dramatically reduced Liberal and Bloc Quebecois parties, and a lone Green Party MP (for the first time). What will happen there and why does it matter? In our system of parliamentary democracy, MPs are elected to represent their constituents and to enact laws governing the country according to the principles that represent their party and their own consciences. They aren’t just there to reflect the whims of the electorate at any given moment—that’s populism of a kind that leads to chaos in the end. The point is: who gets elected, and what party they represent, matters in Ottawa. As a political party vying for office, CHP Canada has a vested interest in what goes on in Parliament, and needs to monitor what kind of legislation is brought forward, or, in some cases, what is not being brought forward or advocated. While we don’t currently have any representation in Ottawa, I believe it’s important that we keep a close eye on what’s happening there. We might even consider appointing someone as a Parliamentary Liaison Officer, to act as a watchdog over parliamentary activity and to provide a means to respond to the government (and to individual MPs) on issues that are of particular concern to us and our constituency. With no election on the horizon for four years, we need to concentrate on sharpening our Better Solutions for Government, and developing new policies to meet existing or new challenges, such as the future of health care in this country. As well, we need to provide principled responses to issues of the day as they arise, so that we are seen as offering sensible solutions to problems facing this country—not from a narrow self-interest, but from the perspective of a party that has solid principles based on a firm foundation of enduring values. In this way, we can be relevant to the national debate and show our own members (as well as potential new members) that we have something of value to contribute. In the meantime, we need to identify groups that have similar principles and views, and join with them to present our case to MPs and parties currently in power. What will this new Parliament have to deal with shortly? Among other things, a slightly amended budget which was not passed before the election. One of the items contained therein is the elimination of the $2.00 per vote subsidy for political parties. That is actually only a small part of a bigger issue of how political parties are financed, as well as how votes are counted in our system. It should be interesting to see if the NDP pushes their long-standing policy on proportional representation. The CHP can contribute to that debate. This is only one example of many others that could be mentioned, such as the ‘gift’ of $2 billion dollars to the province of Quebec for agreeing to some form of the HST some years ago, and whether that’s really warranted or not; the support of the NATO-led efforts to bring down the current regime in Libya; the future of the health system in our country; and so on. Of urgent importance is the fact, recently revealed by the Toronto Star, that a Canadian group participating in a flotilla to break Israel’s blockade that prevents weapons from being smuggled into Gaza, received $5 million of taxpayers’ money! This ‘gift’ subverts Canada’s position that Israel has a right to defend itself. When bureaucrats by-pass government policy and send taxpayers’ money to supporters of terrorist groups (like the Turkish IHH, sponsors of the flotilla), it’s a sign that there’s a need for a shakeup! As a party, and as the leadership of the party, we will be discussing these and many other issues next week as we chart a course for the future of the party at our national board meeting. We hope that you’ll take the time to let us know where you think we should be heading as well, and to do your part in monitoring the political affairs in Ottawa. It’s not just a hobby; it’s a civic duty, and affects all of us as Canadians concerned about the direction of the country. Please contact us by Monday June 6 with your thoughts for the future of the CHP through the Executive Director, (1-888-868-3247) who will bring them all to this important strategic planning meeting. Let us pray, too, for those who represent us currently in Ottawa, and let us implore God to grant His favour over them and us. May God bless Canada.