Sarnia-Lambton’s member of Parliament it was memorable 2022 for her, both professionally and personally, but also a tough one for Canadians dealing with the impact of inflation.
It was also a year of transition for her own party after Erin O’Toole was “ousted” as leader of the Conservatives, Marilyn Gladu said.
Gladu backed eventual winner Pierre Poilievre in the leadership race and served as his campaign’s Ontario co-chairperson.
He selected Gladu to head the party’s response to redistribution of federal electoral districts in Ontario and gave his responsibility for the party’s new civil liberties portfolio.
“This was the year the Emergencies Measures Act was put into place and was an infringement of the Charter rights of millions of Canadians,” Gladu said.
She said 2022 was a tough year for Canadians in general.
“We’re seeing the highest inflation in 40 years. The cost of everything is going up – gas, groceries, home heating,” plus increased taxes, Gladu said.
At the same time, she said, Canadians witnessed “a failure” of government systems that included “the people who couldn’t get their passports” and a backlog in immigration cases.
Gladu said the government also put some “disturbing” legislation in place, including an online streaming act currently before the Senate.
“This is definitely against freedom of speech,” she said. “I know the Senate is trying to bring amendments that will address it, so that’s my hope.”
Gladu said she’s also concerned about the government’s online news legislation.
“The purpose of the bill was to get money to small local media outlets and, unfortunately, what was created was another bureaucratic monster.”
She added changes to the Medical Assistance in Dying legislation were paused this year “because of the great concerns that people have.”
Gladu said another concern is the government’s move to add new restrictions on guns that impact hunters, “which I’m hearing a lot about at the office as well.”
Gladu said 2022 was “honestly, not a great year for the government” while also a year of “transition” for her own party.
But, Gladu added, she got married in December, so there was “personal joy” for her in 2022.
The issue of potential changes to federal electoral districts in Ontario remains active heading into 2023, she said.
Locally, municipal officials raised concerns about the initial proposal, which would see Lambton County communities split between several ridings. Currently, the county is part of two.
“They’ve asked for a two-month expansion” to redraw Ontario’s maps following public hearings on the proposed changes, Gladu said.
“We expect to see the maps the week of Feb. 6.”
Gladu’s own Pension Protection Act private member’s bill received unanimous support in the House of Commons and is now before the Senate.
The pension reform proposal would place pensioners near the top of the queue in the event of corporate bankruptcies by amending a trio of acts: Bankruptcy and Insolvency, Companies’ Creditors Arrangement and Pension Benefits Standards.
It also has a measure aimed at preventing funds from becoming insolvent and requiring another annual pension fund reports to be tabled in Parliament for transparency.
“If I read the tea leaves, I would say there’s going to be lots of support in the Senate,” Gladu said. “I think this is something that has a great possibility of passing.”
Looking ahead to 2023, Gladu said there is talk of another possible federal election.
“Otherwise, we continue to propose things to try to address the cost of living,” she said. “That’s really what’s on the minds of Canadians, I think.”
Another concern is the state of the overburdened health-care system, Gladu said.
“I think everybody is seeing that more money is needed from the federal government.”
She added there’s a need for more long-term addiction recovery beds, and for more to be done to recognize the credentials of doctors and nurses who have arrived from other countries but aren’t allowed to work in their professions in Canada.
“We’re short health-care workers,” Gladu said.