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MP-Elect Derek Sloan concerned about who was appointed as Minister for Rural Economic Development

MP-Elect for Hastings-Lennox and Addington Derek Sloan says he only has an issue with one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet choices.

MP for Peterborough-Kawartha Maryam Monsef was appointed as the Minister for Women and Gender Equality as well as the Minister for Rural Economic Development. “I just wonder if she will be able to put the time in that the portfolio needs because it’s very important to the riding,” Sloan says. He says while he’s sure she will do a good job with the portfolios, at best her time will be divided between the two of them, which is concerning.

Sloan believes the Rural and Economic Development portfolio needs 100-percent of whoever is appointed’s time. He says he hasn’t passed judgement yet and will wait and see how she handles the work-load.

He compliments the selection of MP for Ottawa-Centre Catherine McKenna as the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. Sloan says that’s another portfolio that’s important to the riding. He believes McKenna will do a good job with it.

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One appointment that is getting plenty of attention from the national media is Trudeau’s naming of MP for University-Rosedale Chrystia Freeland as Deputy Prime Minister. It’s being noted as a move that the Liberals hope bridges the Liberal gap in Alberta after they had no MPs elected there. Sloan says the Prime Minister’s options were limited but adds it doesn’t matter who was appointed, but what they do to help the province. He says one person won’t make a difference, but results will.

As for that work, Sloan says the Liberals need to get to work getting Alberta’s economy “moving again.” He points to the oil sector in the province as a way to do that, and help the rest of the country as well. “We have very environmental standards in Canada and we’re continuously improving them,” he says of the oil produced in Canada. That’s why he takes issue with oil being imported from counties like Saudi Arabia and Libya. He says it’s counter-intuitive to import from country’s with “terrible human rights records and terrible environmental records” instead use what we already have.

“The government needs to support Canadian oil,” Sloan says. The National Post reports that from 2007 to 2017, $20.9 billion dollars of petroleum oil from Saudi Arabia. A lot was made of the divide in the province on election night and Sloan believes this is one of the major issues that is “bugging” the province.

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