Parliamentary Bulletin: Spring 2016
FRANK BAYLIS
Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds-Dollard
WORD FROM THE MP
Many people have asked me about my first months as a Member of
Parliament. Questions include: How is the experience of being an MP?
Do you live in Ottawa? What is it like working with the Prime Minister?
Here is an overview of my activities as an MP.
Committee that conducts studies and reviews legislation. With my
background as an engineer and business person, I was happy when the
party leadership put me on the Industry and Innovation committee. The
committee meets every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 3:30 pm
to 6:00 pm. I am also a member of the Aerospace Caucus and the Digital
We spend approximately 26 weeks per year in Ottawa. The other half of Infrastructure Caucus, which focuses on supporting those respective
the year, we are in our ridings. Coming from the West Island, travel to
industries. In addition, I am the chair of the Canada-United Kingdom
Ottawa is less than two hours. Our proximity to Ottawa allows me to
Inter-Parliamentary Association, where my duties include overseeing
leave on Monday morning and be at work on time. However, MPs
meetings of our executive, meeting with dignitaries from the UK, hosting
coming from farther away must travel to Ottawa on Sunday in order to a visit of UK Parliamentarians to Ottawa, and planning a visit of
be present for Monday morning.
Canadian Parliamentarians to the UK.
Our schedule in Ottawa is built around pre-set activities that all MPs
must attend. Question Period is a central part of our day. From Monday
to Thursday we have Question Period starting at 2:00 pm, (11:00 am on
Fridays). The first 15 minutes is reserved for Member Statements, which
are opportunities for an MP to give a one minute statement on a matter
of interest. I recently made a statement recognizing the great work that
our healthcare workers do in the field of congenital heart disease. I did
so during Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. After Member
Statements come the actual questions. This is when the opposition
parties will ask questions of the Ministers regarding various programs
and policies that we are putting forward. This is a time of lively debate
that you may have seen on television. Question Period, however, is only
a small part of the work that is done in the House of Commons. Each MP
is also assigned House Duty, when we must be present in the House. We
are divided into groups and then assigned two 3 hour sessions per
week. These are times when we participate in the debate taking place on
a Motion or a Bill.
Finally, all MPs receive multiple requests each week for meetings with
associations, companies, charities and non-governmental organizations.
These groups want to discuss issues that are important to them. Free
time between the activities listed above is normally filled with such
meetings. As we cannot meet with everyone, I have decided to
concentrate on groups that deal with issues related to business, industry
and matters directly affecting our riding.
Wednesday mornings are reserved for caucus meetings. Liberal MPs
from Quebec meet from 8:00 am to 10 am. We then attend the National
Liberal Caucus meeting where all Liberal Members from across the
country meet. These caucus meetings are an opportunity for us to
discuss important issues amongst ourselves. We can also present our
views to any Minister or to the Prime Minister himself. Added to all this
is our committee work. The Party assigns each MP to a Standing
Sincerely,
Like every MP, regardless of the party, I feel a great sense of honour and
privilege to be in this position. It is a very busy schedule, both in Ottawa
and in the riding, but one that I enjoy greatly.
Finally, our Prime Minister is a smart man who is open to hearing ideas
from various perspectives. He is polite, inquisitive and open-minded. He
is full of energy and able to work tirelessly, so you have to be in great
shape to keep up with him!
SERVICES OFFERED
As your MP, I look forward to being your voice in Ottawa. My team of specialists can also help you directly from our constituency office with the
following services :
Helping you:






Helping your organisation:
Get information on Federal government programs and
 Get information on federal government programs and services,
services.
such as Canada Summer Jobs, and assist in processing
Assist you in your dealings with Federal departments.
requests.
Present your petitions to the House of Commons.
 Host educational visits, for schools, on the topic of Canadian
Organize visits of Parliament Hill and viewings of Question
governance.
Period.
 Get support for community work and recognition of
Get Canadian flags and lapel pins.
achievements for its volunteers.
Receive messages of congratulations for special occasions from
your MP, the Prime Minister, the Governor General or Her
Majesty the Queen.
CONSTITUENCY OFFICE
For an appointment, please do not
hesitate to contact us by
phone or e-mail at:
514-624-5725
frank.baylis@parl.gc.ca
Address:
501-3883 Blvd St-Jean,
DDO, QC, H9G 3B9
IN THE COMMUNITY
Marking the beginning of the Chinese Lunar
New Year and of the Year of the Monkey
Pierrefonds-Dollard heard Loud and Clear
In preparation for the budget, the Minister of
Finance asked each Member of Parliament for
input. To provide a clear picture of the needs of
our riding, we hosted three series of consultations
with stakeholders in Pierrefonds-Dollard.
We met with business leaders, local not-for-profit
organizations and representatives of both our
municipalities and provincial ridings, all of whom
shared with us their priorities, concerns and
messages that we then delivered to the Minister.
Briefly, these were to promote innovation and
manufacturing, invest in our transit and other
infrastructure, and provide opportunities for
hardworking Canadians trying to make ends meet.
We are glad to see that the Minister listened to the
voices of Pierrefonds-Dollard, among those of all
Canadians. Our budget makes impressive strides
on each of these points.
A Budget for Everyone
This budget is a commitment to growing our
economy for the long term. We are focused on
sustainable economic growth for middle class
Canadians – and doing more for those working to
join them. Because when the middle class does
better, all of Canada does better.
To grow our economy, we are implementing many
initiatives including the middle class tax cut, the
Canada Child Care benefit as well as investments in
roads, bridges and highways. Through these
initiatives, we are fulfilling our commitment to
support middle class families.
Our government believes that to create good, fulltime jobs, we need a strong economy and a clean
environment. These go hand in hand. We need to
invest in innovation, in clean solutions for the
energy sector, and in sound environmental
stewardship. Climate change is a reality and we are
going to move towards a low carbon economy in
an effective manner.
This budget recognizes that diversity is a core
strength of Canada. It is a key component of our
economic vitality. Our investments in immigration,
in culture and in our Indigenous communities are
fundamental to ensuring Canada’s global
leadership for generations to come.
At the Elite Provincial Championships hosted by
Dollard Synchronized Swimming Club
With Madeleine Thibault-Meyers, the first
female RCAF pilot in Quebec
Budget 2016 will bring jobs and opportunities to
the middle class while promoting innovation,
modernizing our economy and investing in our
future.
Celebrating Holi at the Hindu Mandir
INCOME TAX CLINIC
SPECIAL MENTION
I would like to sincerely
thank the previous Member
of Parliament, Madame
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe,
for all of her hard work in
representing our riding in
Ottawa from 2011 to 2015.
She was a very active MP
who worked to ensure that
the concerns of our
citizens were addressed.
In partnership with Volunteer West
Island (VWI), we hosted a free
income tax clinic for eligible
constituents of our riding of
Pierrefonds-Dollard.
Two important areas she focused on were: alleviating
seniors’ poverty and immigration issues. On behalf of
the citizens of our riding, I thank Madame Lysane
Blanchette-Lamothe for her dedicated efforts, and wish
her the best in her future endeavours.
Our special thanks go to Terry Aitken, Community Programs Coordinator for VWI, as
well as VWI’s exceptional volunteers Salvatore Diurso, Linda Lepore and Sukhy Basra
for their hard work and dedication to the community. This was clearly a well-received
initiative, and we look forward to collaborating with our partners to make the income
tax clinic a mainstay of our riding office’s services for years to come.
FRANK BAYLIS
We welcomed citizens at the constituency office and helped them prepare
their income tax returns . The clinic was
available to individuals with an annual
income of $25,000 or less, and couples
with a total income under $30,000.
2
PIERREFONDS-DOLLARD
HELPING CANADIAN FAMILIES
Improving Access to Child Care
Increasing Support for Families
Key Facts
Our government is partnering with provinces,
territories, and Indigenous communities to invest
in social infrastructure projects such as child care
centers. This will help to improve access to
high-quality child care and support the wellbeing of children and their families.
To help with the high costs of raising children, we
introduced the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCB).
The Canada Child Tax Benefit is tax-free and
income-based. It gives more support to the
families who need help most: single-parents and
low-income families. This is important, because
every child deserves a real and fair chance to
succeed.

Families benefiting from the CCB will see an
average of almost $2,300 more per
year – tax free!
 The CCB will lift hundreds of thousands of
children out of poverty.
 9 out of 10 families will receive more benefits
with the new CCB than under the previous
government.
Find out how much YOU will save by visiting the Canadian Revenue Agency’s CCB Calculator: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/bnfts/clcltr/cfbc-eng.html
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS OF PIERREFONDS-DOLLARD
Meet and Greet
Canada Summer Jobs
Government of Canada Announcement
On February 12, we were delighted to host
many not-for-profit organisations for a meet
and greet at our constituency office, followed
by an information session on the Canada
Summer Jobs program. This occasion gave us
the opportunity to meet some of the leaders
spearheading these phenomenal organisations
and providing an impressive range of services
to residents of Pierrefonds-Dollard.
During the meet and greet, we discussed the
types of Federal support our office provides to
our constituents, asked the organisations
about their needs and the type of support they
look for from a Federal partner. A particularly
valuable program to them is the Canada
Summer Jobs program (CSJ).
The CSJ program provides funding to not-forprofit organizations, public-sector employers
and small businesses with 50 or fewer
employees in order to help create summer job
opportunities for students. The benefits of this
program are two-fold: to give young people
the opportunity to gain work experience in
their communities and to support employers
who want and need additional staff for the
summer. Through the hiring of students, the
program also supports local community
priorities, such as services to seniors and
disadvantaged groups throughout the riding.
We were particularly overjoyed to share with
attendees the news that Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau had doubled the number of summer
jobs to be created from 34,000 in 2015 to
nearly 70,000 in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The
Prime Minister also announced doubling of the
Canada Summer Jobs program funding to $220
million annually for the next three years
beginning in 2016, up from $107.5 million in
2015. This represents the first annual increase
to the Canada Summer Jobs program since
2009 and is a testament to the Government of
Canada’s commitment to invest in youth,
helping thousands more young Canadians
start their careers with meaningful work and
valuable experience.
FRANK BAYLIS
3
PIERREFONDS-DOLLARD
IN THE COMMUNITY
A visit to Sainte Anne’s Veterans Hospital with MP Francis Scarpaleggia, MP Peter Schiefke, and the Hon. Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs. We were honored
to meet some of our great veterans, including Mr. Remillard of the RCAF, pictured on the left. The Veterans Committee from Sainte Anne's Hospital has done a
wonderful job in overseeing the transfer of authority from Veterans Affairs to the provincial government.
At a reception hosted by our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to mark the 20th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada. The reception was an occasion for me
to welcome members of the black community from Pierrefonds-Dollard along with some of my cousins. We also had a visit from DDO Councillor Errol Johnson who is
pictured on the right, with another cousin, Senator Anne Cools.
The Right Hon. Jean Chrétien, along with staff members, Phil and Ramy.
Celebrating Norooz with the Iranian Cultural Society of West Island.
Meeting Nadia Saleh, an exemplary
constituent. Thanks to her skills in
Arabic and passion for helping
others, Nadia served as an
interpreter at Pierre Elliot Trudeau
Airport for Syrian Refugees arriving
to Montreal. Her efforts were
valuable to our Government’s
commitment to welcome 25,000
Syrian refugees. As of April 17
2016, 26,506 Syrian refugees have
landed.
Inauguration of the All-Party Raoul Wallenberg Parliamentary Caucus on
Human Rights, founded by the Hon. Irwin Cotler.
FRANK BAYLIS
4
PIERREFONDS-DOLLARD