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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 25 ,2 02 0 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA Since March 13, Parlia- ment has been suspended. In its place, a special com- mittee has met far fewer times than the House of Commons normally would. When the committee has met, only a few MPs are present. The committee has limited powers. Mem- bers can only ask ques- tions, make statements or present petitions. Intro- ducing motions or legisla- tion is not permitted, nor are votes, and confidence cannot be tested. I supported the decision to suspend Parliament March 13. The decision to suspend was prudent and appropri- ate. The pandemic had just been declared, and we didn't know what we were dealing with. However, after three months, we now know a lot more about COVID-19. It's time for Parliament, with all its powers and physical distancing, to resume. Hundreds of billions of dol- lars are being spent with- out Parliamentary approv- al. Laws are being changed by ministerial order rather than by Parliament. The government is mak- ing decisions that will af- fect Canadians for decades to come without Parlia- mentary approval or over- sight. Right now, more than ever, Parliament needs to resume to hold the govern- ment accountable -- in or- der to save lives and liveli- hoods. History demonstrates that governments make better decisions through the cut and thrust of demo- cratic debate. Accountabil- ity is not only the one-time event of an election every four years, but the continu- ous, ongoing check and bal- ance on the government's power. That ongoing account- ability can only be deliv- ered if Parliament is sit- ting. By limiting the powers of MPs, the Liberal minor- ity government is effective- ly governing like it holds a majority -- which it does not. Daily media briefings are no substitute for parlia- mentary accountability. Parliament is not sched- uled to resume until Sep- tember 21. For context, this shut- down totals four times the length that former prime minister Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament, in his nearly 10 years of gov- erning, combined. Parliament sat through two world wars, the Octo- ber crisis and previous pandemics. The people's representatives need to sit. Canadians need their re- presentation. The House of Commons, with its full powers and physical distancing, needs to reopen immediately. Michael Chong is the MP for Wellington-Halton Hills, and the shadow minister of democratic institutions for the official Opposition. He can be reached at Mi- chael.chong.a3@parl. gc.ca. WHY PARLIAMENT NEEDS TO REOPEN TRUE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT CAN ONLY BE DELIVERED WHEN PARLIAMENT IS SITTING, WRITES MICHAEL CHONG SNAPSHOT A female cardinal and downy woodpecker get ready to chow down in a Georgetown backyard. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Tony Fortunato photo Scams and frauds are part of everyday life. Polic- ing is difficult because most cases are not report- ed. The Canadian Anti- Fraud website is a useful source of information. Pro- tect yourself by anticipat- ing fraud attempts will oc- cur against you. As an example: two cell- phone messages saying the owner's credit card had been compromised earlier that morning and a large amount of money was tak- en. The instruction was to call back immediately, and a number was provided. The cellphone owner elected to call the phone number on the credit card. Both the credit card and bank name are among the largest in our country. The bank employee was familiar with this type of attempted fraud and as- sured the caller not to wor- ry. That assurance was comforting, but from a crime prevention perspec- tive, the rest of the tele- phone conversation was puzzling. The bank employee was offered the phone number that the criminals had re- quested the cellphone own- er call. The surprise response was no. The bank did not want the phone number. I contacted the Halton Regional Police and spoke with Kevin Harvey in the fraud unit. He said a good way to combat fraud at- tempts is public aware- ness. When specific types of fraud are continuously at- tempted, there is an effort by police to educate the public which has had suc- cess in the past. Criminal activity in that area might decline, but sometimes re- surface years later. Detective Harvey said one of the biggest obstacles at policing fraudulent ac- tivity is the lack of report- ing. Most fraud attempts are not reported. The suggestion was for citizens interested in learning more about fraud to visit the Canadian Anti- Fraud Centre website. Scams and fraud at- tempts unfortunately are part of everyday life. Un- derstand that you will like- ly be a target in the future. Be on guard and try to protect yourself. Peter Watson, of Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI offers a weekly financial plan- ning column, 'Dollars & Sense'. He can be contacted through www.watsonin- vestments.com. SCAMS AND FRAUD ARE A REAL THREAT CANADIANS NEED TO RETHINK HOW WE COMBAT SCAMS AND OTHER ATTEMPTS OF THEFT, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column MICHAEL CHONG Column