If some Canadians are under the impression that Members of Parliament are sitting near the fire drinking eggnog as the nation quakes, I would like to illustrate what is happening with this government.

When Parliament prorogued on December 4, business in the House of Commons went on hiatus, but the real work is just beginning. M.P.s in our party are working furiously toward the late January deadline when we will deliver a federal budget. It remains to be seen whether the opposition parties will allow the budget to pass, but rest assured the finance minister is working overtime to deliver a financial package that will benefit all Canadians.

During this festive season, M.P.s will be busier than ever. I will be splitting my time between Yorkton-Melville and Ottawa during December and January, when I would normally stick closer to home. Our caucus will be meeting during this period, however, so M.P.s can provide guidance on budget preparation and keep abreast of the chess game being played out with the other parties.

The Liberal party of Canada has chosen a new leader and we will be interested to see if Michael Ignatieff has an appetite to support the recently created coalition. If the coalition survives and the budget is voted down, it’s possible that Mr. Ignatieff could become prime minister of Canada. This would be a very odd turn of events, since he was not the leader of any political party when the voters were at the polls last October. In addition, he was not actually elected as party leader by the Liberal’s membership at large. Our party firmly believes that the prime minister of Canada should not be appointed – he or she should be elected by the people.

As always, I welcome letters from my constituents who would like to share your opinions with me. I read all of the letters that come into my office, and your input helps me to advise the government on your behalf. Your input now is especially important, since we are in the budget preparation phase in Ottawa.

Please feel free to contact me postage-free at 19-1st Avenue North, Yorkton, Saskatchewan, S3N 1J3 or c/o the House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6.

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The audio version of Garry's December 15, 2008 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here