By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Foothills MP to focus on bringing down provincial barriers in 2017

Jan 2, 2017 | 6:07 AM

LETHBRIDGE – As we end 2016, Foothills MP John Barlow is calling it a successful year, and one he thinks the Conservatives can build upon.

In a year end interview with Lethbridge News Now, Barlow explained that while his party is no longer in power, he is excited about the direction they’re heading in.

“I guess the biggest thing for me is the strength of the job that Rona Ambrose has done as our interim leader, I think she’s been exceptionally strong, she’s really kept our caucus together as the Conservative members of Parliament,” Barlow stated.

“We came into this – after the 2015 federal election – with a goal, and our goal was to be the strongest opposition in Canadian Parliamentary history, and I think we’ve been very close to that,” Barlow continued. “I think we’ve done a very strong and worthwhile work in terms of holding the Liberal government to account, and I’m really proud of the team, the 99 Conservative members of Parliament that we have in Ottawa, I think they’ve done an exceptional job.”

When asked what stands out personally for Barlow when he reflects on 2016, he noted that he truly appreciates the support and feedback he has received from his constituents, saying he will continue to focus on making himself available to them as often as possible.

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He added that the party’s faith in him has also meant a lot.

“Being added as the critic for inter-provincial trade has been an outstanding opportunity for me. This is a pretty substantial file to be taking on, and is a chance for me to try to leave a mark and work with small businesses across the country, but specifically focusing on southern Alberta right now and building out from there.”

As for the future, Barlow says two priorities are front and centre as we move into 2017.

“One is working with the minister of industry on trying to expand access to broad-band internet in the rural communities in southern Alberta. Just about every municipality in the constituency in the riding, that’s a top priority for them, so we’ll continue to work on that,” explained Barlow.

“For me in my critic role on inter-provincial trade, we’re going to be launching a “Free the Beer” program in January and February, and we’re really going to try and bring some attention with the constitutional right of Canadians to have free-trade across the country,” said Barlow. “This is an initiative that sort of was born out of a study that the senate did over the summer, and it shows that the inter-provincial trade barriers and trade irritants that we have within our own country are costing our economy $150-billion a year.

“That’s worth more than the Canada-Europe free trade agreement, more than the Canada-South Korea free trade agreement, and I don’t think too many Canadians realize that the barriers that we’ve slowly over the years put up between our own provinces is costing Canadians dearly,” he added. “I think if we were able to one-by-one start eliminating those barriers, it will have a real profound impact on our Canadian economy.”

As the interview wrapped up, Barlow noted that he had a message he wanted to relay to those in his riding and across the country.

“For myself and my wife Louise and my family, I just wanted to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas. I think this is a chance to really embrace family and enjoy our communities, and to have a safe and warm holiday.”