OTTAWA  –  Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright, gave the following statement in the House of Commons on March 18, 2010.
“I have heard people say that Canadians are not interested in the political process. I disagree.

I recently held 17 town hall accountability meetings throughout my riding, and my constituents brought a wide range of issues to my attention, including the Economy, Justice, and Agricultural issues, to name a few.

And I am proud to say that many of the things my constituents were asking for have already been delivered by this Conservative government.
They generally supported the targeted, short-term, stimulus funding but made it clear that it’s time to bring the budget back into balance – and our government has delivered with a responsible plan to do exactly that.

They told me that they want our justice system to focus more on protecting society and victims of crime and less on the rights of criminals. We are doing that.
For democracy to work we, as MP’s, must keep in touch with those we represent. Therefore I thank everyone who attended my town hall meetings. Democracy is indeed working as it should.”