You might have missed an announcement last month regarding air travel to the United States.

* In order to speed up travel to the U.S., the federal government announced that Canadian travelers will soon be able to use their NEXUS cards to expedite screening at Canada`s eight largest airports beginning in February.

* Also, Canadian passengers will benefit from the elimination of duplicate baggage screening over the next three years. This will allow Canadians to book tighter connecting flights while travelling through and to U.S. cities; and have a better chance of getting their bags on the same connecting flight.

* These border initiatives, like the one described above, not only make flights easier and more convenient. They also help create jobs and economic growth in Canada by improving the traffic flow between our two countries.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.

So, what do Members of Parliament do when the House of Commons is not sitting in Ottawa?

Well, this January, I’m speaking to a Grade 8 class; doing a coffee hour at seniors’ residence; helping with a passport clinic; speaking to an agriculture conference; doing a breakfast talk to a coffee group; making official federal announcements; and (hopefully) finding time to drop in on one of the Hutterite colonies in the constituency.

Along with public engagements, I make sure I take the time to meet with constituents one-on-one.

In short, Members of Parliament spend their non-Ottawa weeks reaching out to hear from their constituents.  We do it because it’s the best way we know to serve our voters. We appreciate everyone who gives us their honest input. It helps MPs do their jobs.  It helps us serve you better.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.

The Indian Act needs to go.  It’s not working and needs to be replaced.

Major efforts have been made over the years to raise the standard of living on Reserves. However, the standard of living on many Reserves across Canada is not even close to a level that would be considered adequate in most of the country.

Toss in the frustration that many taxpayers feel when they see billions of dollars being spent for what they see as next to no return and we have a situation where almost no one benefits from the status quo.

Inertia and piecemeal solutions are the order of the day, unfortunately. Something major needs to be done. Getting rid of the Indian Act would be a good start.

If legislation was passed sun setting the Indian Act and forcing a major overhaul of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, we might start to get results that would benefit all Canadians.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.

I would like to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012.

This last year, we have been blessed by many things in Canada. We should also remember those who are less fortunate than us.

As you celebrate Christmas and New Years with your friends and family, please reach out to those who are in need.

On behalf of myself and my staff in Ottawa, Saskatoon and Humboldt: Merry Christmas to you and your family.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.

Revenues from oil help keep people employed in Saskatchewan, they pay for our hospitals and our schools and are, along with agriculture, and mining, very important to our economy.  So you would think that all Canadian politicians would want to get as much money as possible by exporting oil to our southern neighbours.

Not so the NDP. Their MPs flew down to Washington, D.C. to argue against building a pipeline that would export oil to the U.S.

The NDP are opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline because they are opposed to the oil sands. They just don’t care about the jobs and money that flow into Alberta and Saskatchewan. Now, I realize that the new NDP is Quebec-centric. But by asking American politicians to kill jobs in Western Canada, the New Democrats are not only abandoning the West, they are openly attacking my province. The NDP should be ashamed for attacking a vital sector of our prairie economy.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.

Starting this summer, I’ve had a few visits from constituents who might be affected by U.S. tax rules.
 
They were mostly Canadians who were born in the U.S. or dual citizens who now reside in Canada.

In most cases, these individuals did not owe the U.S. government a penny in taxes. Yet, the IRS wanted them to fork out $10,000/year in penalties for not filing tax forms.

After pressure from the Government of Canada, the U.S. government now appears ready to provide some relief.

Even though the terms have to be finalized, the U.S. government will probably waive penalties in cases where one doesn’t owe any taxes.

If you are a dual citizen (Canada-U.S.), contact our office and also, find a tax professional you can work with on this issue.  You should be okay, but now is the time to find out, before new tax penalties are levied by the IRS (years into the future).

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.

Not all government spending is created equal. For example, the roughly $300 million that is being spent to build the South Bridge to connect Circle Drive will make transportation more efficient and productive in Saskatoon.  This bridge will make our city more prosperous.

On the other hand, the Liberal long-gun registry cost around $2 billion. The registry was a hindrance to the hunting and guiding industry, all the while tying up police officers with more paper work.

I provide these two examples as an illustration as to why the Conservative government will be cutting some types of spending in the spring.  The federal government still does an enormous amount of wasteful spending, and that’s what we need to start cutting.  So, when someone complains to you that cutting government spending hurts the economy, ask them: What was the economic benefit of the long-gun registry? Then see if they get the point.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.

Did you know that last year, only eight per cent of Canadians maxed out their RRSPs? And that six out of every 10 Canadians do not have a pension plan at their workplace?

Even though small business owners might like to set up a pension plan for their workers, pension plans are usually too complex for them to set up and administer.

It is for these reasons that the Conservative government introduced legislation on November 17th to set up Pooled Registered Pension Plans.

These Pension Plans are large scale, low cost, pension plans that small businesses can join so that their employees have access to a pension plan.  Since these pension plans will be harmonized across the provinces and be administrated by professionals, self employed and small business workers will finally be able to have access to pensions beyond the CPP.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.

Remembrance Day is the one day each year we set aside to officially honour our War Dead and recognize our Veterans. We honour all who have served Canada.

This is also the first Remembrance Day since Canada halted active combat duty in Afghanistan.

Even though the nature of conflict has changed over the years, our responsibilities as Canadians have not.  We have the responsibility as Canadians to remember, to honour, and to learn.

We have a responsibility to remember those who died in battle defending Canada and our values. As time marches on, we should also tell our children about the bravery of our Veterans who survived the war but who are no longer with us.

We have the responsibility to honour those Veterans who have returned home to our local communities.

Canadians went to war in order to secure peace and freedom for ourselves and millions around the world. We need to learn the lessons of history in this regard.

We need to do all this, lest we forget.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.

On November 1st, the House of Commons passed the second reading of Bill C-19, legislation to repeal the long-gun registry.  While the opposition parties are continuing their fight to save the registry, it now appears that the long-gun registry will be history by January.

The long-gun registry started as an attempt by the government of the day to show that it was doing something to combat crime, without going after criminals.

And that was the problem. In attempting to control farmers, hunters, and sportsmen, the Liberals wrongly implied that Canadians who used shotguns and rifles were the problem.

The long-gun registry was a shameful attempt to blame lawful firearm owners for the behaviour of criminals. It is wonderful to see the registry consigned to history. Unfortunately, it took 15 years and $2 billion to see the registry retired.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can reach my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133. Feel free to drop by my two offices for a visit: Saskatoon (Monday to Friday) or Humboldt (Tuesday and Wednesday). I always appreciate your feedback.