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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 27 ,2 01 8 | 8 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 family of newspapers is comprised f 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. 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Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL If you're waiting for the trickle of one Liberal MP abandoning her party to turn into a raging flood of de- fectors, don't hold your breath. It won't happen. Leona Alleslev's decision to cross over to the Conser- vatives the day Parliament resumed last week was per- fectly timed to stir up the most political drama, grab the most attention and cause maximum embarrassment to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And judging by the ecstatic welcome she received from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, you'd think Moses had just led the Children of Israel out of the wil- derness and to the edge of the Promised Land. Except this prophet was completely on her own. She's the perfect poster girl for what Scheer calls Canadians' "misplaced trust" in the Liberals. Just as Alleslev woke up to the unpleasant reality of her one- time party, so, too, will other Liberal supporters - or so Scheer hopes. Because the Liberals still lead in the polls. Playing up Alleslev's defection may appeal to the Tories even more because they've just lost a high-profile MP of their own - Maxime Bernier. He stormed out of their ranks to start a whole new conservative political movement that could make life tricky for Scheer in the next election. But for anyone wondering if Ottawa's tectonic plates just lurched to the right, there's less here than meets the eye. Alleslev may not have been following an unerring political compass as much as sniffing which way the wind's blowing in her own Toronto-area riding of Auro- ra-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill. The provincial version of that riding voted solidly Progressive Conservative in June's Ontario election and is now a happy part of Ford Nation. Alleslev knows she won her riding by a fairly narrow margin in the 2015 federal election. If she values the life of an MP, her chances of keeping it might be better if she's a Conservative, too. Other questions about her motives will arise, given her accolades for Trudeau and the Liberals just weeks before she turned around and trashed them. How strange, then, that just a few weeks later she met with Scheer to discuss the terms of her defection. And how odd that she left the Liberals denouncing their failures in foreign, defence and fiscal policies - none of which had changed much since she waved the Liberal banner in the 2015 election. Perhaps Alleslev's choice of a new political dancing partner merely shows the difference between being Liberal and Conservative is less than voters generally think and that pragmatism trumps party lines. What's certain is that Scheer's biggest challenge to- day isn't persuading more Liberals to cross the floor but keeping any restive Conservative MPs and voters from cosying up to Maxime Bernier and his new party. ONE NEW TORY MP DOESN'T MAKE A GOVERNMENT Each year, the Canada Summer Jobs program helps employers create valuable summer job oppor- tunities for full-time stu- dents while strengthening local economies and com- munities. In 2018, Oakville North- Burlington employers cre- ated 200 jobs with 50 employ- ers in the community; dou- ble the number of students employed in 2016. I enjoyed visiting many CSJ students and employers at their workplaces this summer. Providing youth with sum- mer employment opportu- nities allows them to apply their education, build their skill base and gain the valu- able experience and con- tacts they need to be suc- cessful in future careers. Aside from helping to create employment and boost our economy, the pro- gram also allows organiza- tions to deliver more and di- verse community services, such as summer camps, se- niors programs and com- munity outreach. Employ- ers gain extra staff to im- prove productivity while students learn transferable skills, such as time-manage- ment and organization, work experience, self-confi- dence and the ability to en- joy a reliable income through paid summer em- ployment. Students return to their studies in the fall better prepared for future employment and with a new-found confidence thanks to their summer work experience. One of the most exciting parts of summer for me is visiting students employed in Oakville North-Burling- ton through the CSJ pro- gram. I am always very im- pressed by the work the stu- dents are doing, the respon- sibility and professionalism they show and the amount of real work experience they gain in the program. One of my visits this summer was to the Oakville Soccer Club. David Harris, executive director of the OSC, has employed CSJ stu- dents for several years and says because of them, the club is able to offer addition- al programs and training it would not otherwise be able to run. He told me that there is no question that having CSJ students allowed them to provide more programs for youth in our communityfor youth in our communityf and that if he could, he would hire them all full time. Students have re- turned to school with valu- able experience in running a business, engaging a com- munity and designing pro- gramming. The CSJ program was a huge success in Oakville North-Burlington again this year, and I look for- ward to increasing partici- pation in the program next year. Pam Damoff is the mem- ber of Parliament for Oak- ville North-Burlington. CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL WITH VALUABLE EXPERIENCE, WRITES DAMOFF PAM DAMOFF Column