1) Trans Mountain Expansion Project 

ISSUE: 

Yesterday, Kinder Morgan announced that it has suspended work on the Trans Mountain Expansion project. This decision comes after Prime Minister Trudeau’s failed policies have contributed to the greatest decline in Canadian energy investment in 70 years – a loss of $80 billion - and resulted in more than 110,000 energy workers losing their jobs. 

The Prime Minister also vetoed the approved Northern Gateway pipeline, and killed the Energy East pipeline with last minute rule changes and a regulatory standard that doesn’t apply to any other sector of the Canadian economy. 

KEY MESSAGES:

• This is devastating news for Canada’s energy sector and Canadian workers.

• The blame for this development rests squarely on the shoulders of Justin Trudeau. He has failed to take a single concrete step to ensure this project is completed. All he has done is give us empty words with no action.

• Not only has the Prime Minister failed to champion important projects like Trans Mountain, he is actually making matters worse by imposing policies that harm the Canadian energy sector, like the carbon tax and new regulations that penalize Canadian oil exports.

• Considering the Prime Minister's track record of failure, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Kinder Morgan is now suspending work on the Trans Mountain Expansion project

• Canadians deserve a government that will actually get the job done.
  
  

2) The Atwal Affair 

ISSUE: 

Last week, the Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, responded to the offer of a briefing concerning the incident that saw a convicted attempted murderer attend official events during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to India. National security advisor, Daniel Jean, has agreed to provide members of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security with the non-classified information that was given to the media during Trudeau’s India trip. 

Media are now reporting that a senior government official, presumably Daniel Jean, said that, “It may not be the [Indian] government” that was trying to use Atwal to embarrass the Canadian PM and that “I don’t know if it was a faction of the government of India.” 

While Chair of the committee, Liberal MP John McKay, stated that he expects the unclassified briefing to be open to the public, Conservatives are concerned that the Liberals will again block Mr. Jean from appearing. That’s why, Mr. Scheer will only accept a classified briefing after the unclassified briefing is provided to the committee by Mr. Jean. 

Conservatives will continue to call for Justin Trudeau and the Liberals to be transparent with Canadians regarding these serious accusations.

KEY MESSAGES: 

• Justin Trudeau has failed, repeatedly, to be honest with Canadians about why a convicted attempted murderer was invited to his official events in India.

• The Prime Minister blamed rogue elements within the Indian government for Jaspal Atwal’s presence in India, but since that time, the Indian government, a senior government official, Randeep Sarai, Jaspal Atwal and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have all refuted Justin Trudeau’s claims.

• Mr. Jean’s testimony will help Canadians understand if the Prime Minister is telling truth about the Atwal affair.

• It’s becoming increasingly clear why Justin Trudeau is going to such lengths to cover-up the details of his trip to India.

• It was revealed that a Liberal Member of Parliament, who gets paid by a construction company in Brampton, secured access for his business partner to meet with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and the Minister responsible for economic development.
  
  

3) Canada Summer Jobs Program 

ISSUE: 

Justin Trudeau introduced a values test for Canadians applying for the Canada Summer Jobs program. 

This policy isn’t about the activities or services an organization is engaged in, the policy is about targeting the personal beliefs of the individuals who run those organizations. 

Minister Hadju has stated that her office will be altering the application process for next year and clarifying what the Liberals mean by “core mandate”. Conservatives question whether or not the changes will actually address the concerns being raised by organizations and question why the changes can’t be made this year?

KEY MESSAGES:

• Justin Trudeau has now admitted that his values test violates Canadian charter rights. It is unacceptable that he is waiting a year to stop violating charter rights. 

• The right to freedom of belief and opinion is guaranteed by Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canadians should be very concerned that the Government of Canada is basing funding decisions on whether or not you hold a certain belief.

• Under Justin Trudeau’s values test, if you don’t agree with the ideological positions of the Liberal Party, your organization will no longer be eligible to receive funding for a summer student.

• It’s clear from Justin Trudeau’s actions that he doesn’t respect the rights of Canadians to hold beliefs and opinions that are different from his own.

• Justin Trudeau’s values test has no place in a tolerant, multicultural society such as Canada.

• It’s not good enough for the Liberals to say that they will look into changing the application process next year when over 1500 applications from organizations were denied this year for refusing to sign the Liberal values test.

• Despite this news, many students will be out of jobs this summer, and the organizations that were denied may not be able to help care for persons with disabilities, refugees or provide day camp for children in need.

• Conservatives are also still concerned that Trudeau will apply his values test to Canadians receiving other services, including organizations that receive charitable status from the Canada Revenue Agency. It makes one wonder, was Bombardier forced to sign Justin Trudeau’s values test before the company received hundreds of millions in taxpayer support?