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7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,January 2,2020 insidehalton.com 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 T: 905-845-0767 • F: 905-845-5552 • www.haxelllaw.com • lawyers@haxelllaw.com Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates Buying? Selling? Re Call us for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas GOLDGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOLDLDGOLDLDLDLDLDLD 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 2501 Third Line | 905-465-3000 Open 24 hours | 7 Days a Week DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 478 Dundas Street West | 905-257-9737 Canada Post www.shoppersdrugmart.ca Fabio De Rango Pharmacist/Owner Voted Oakville's Favourite Pharmacist & Pharmacy • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care • Home Visits • Consultations • Free RX Delivery • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care • Home Visits • Pharmacogenetics • Free RX Delivery An Award Winning Oakville Pharmacy PLATINUMWINNER Pharmacist - Fabio De Rango Drug Store/ Pharmacy 2983 Westoak Trails Blvd 905-825-DOCS M-F: 830am to 8pm Sat: 9am to 2pm www.healthsensemedical.ca Visit the HealthSenseWalk-In Clinic when you need a doctor. Convenient hours. Walk-In Clinic This blue jay photo was taken in the Tavares's backyard this past summer. If you have a shot of Oakville wildlife you'd like to share, send a high res jpeg to news editor Steve LeBlanc at sleblanc@metroland.com Joe Tavares photo ANIMAL TALES It was an honour to be elected as your member of Parliament for the riding of Oakville on Oct. 21. I am re- minded each day of the vi- brant, growing and diverse community in which we live. It has been a pleasure hearing from you, my con- stituents, along with other elected officials, communi- ty organizations and local businesses. You have pro- vided sound counsel on how we can continue making progress in supporting our shared priorities for this community. The last six weeks have been a busy time in Ottawa. In addition to listening here at home and being your voice in Ottawa, the Prime Minister asked me to take on the additional responsi- bility of serving as the Min- ister of Public Services and Procurement. I am ho- noured to take on this role, and I look forward to keep- ing you informed of what is happening in Ottawa that might be of interest to you. Last week, the new Par- liament got underway with the Speech from the Throne, which offers a glimpse into the key priori- ties of your government. Five clear themes emerged from the Throne Speech:from the Throne Speech:f fighting climate change,fighting climate change,f strengthening the middle class, advancing Indige- nous reconciliation, keep- ing Canadians safe and healthy, and positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world. On climate change, the government set a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 - ambitious but nec- essary for both environ- mental protection and eco- nomic growth. We also com- mitted to doing so in a way that makes life more afford- able. This includes making it easier to choose zero emissions vehicles and making energy-efficient homes more affordable. We are proposing a num-We are proposing a num-W ber of steps to make life more affordable, including a tax cut that will benefit ap- proximately 20 million Ca- nadians, a commitment to cut the cost of cell and wire- less services by 25 per cent, and making it easier for more Canadians to buy their first home. The Throne Speech reaf- firms our government'sfirms our government'sf commitment to reconcilia- tion, including co-develop- ing and introducing legisla- tion to implement the Unit- ed Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples within the next year, as well as working to ensure safe drinking water in Indigenous communi- ties. This priority includes tackling gun violence, in- cluding tighter gun control and a ban of military-style assault rifles, and support- ing communities in fighting gun violence. We are also firmly focused on tacklingfirmly focused on tacklingf gender-based violence with the development of a Na- tional Action Plan. The phrase "positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world," is based on the idea that we must re- flect Canadian values of de-flect Canadian values of de-f mocracy, human rights and respect for international law. It also suggests that we continue to build partner- ships with like-minded countries and renew our commitment to NATO and United Nations peacekeep- ing. These represent just a flavour of the priorities onflavour of the priorities onf which we seek to make con- tinued progress as we work across party lines in this mi- nority Parliament. In the weeks and months to come, I look forward to keeping you updated on my activi- ties and the work of your government. Most of all, I look forward to re- presenting your interests in Ottawa. Anita Anand is MP for the Oakville Riding THE VIEW FROM OTTAWA OPINION SOME PRIORITIES FOR 2020, WRITES ANITA ANAND ANITA ANAND Column