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Blaine Calkins

Member of Parliament
Member of the panel of chairs for the legislative committees
Conservative

Red Deer—Lacombe
Alberta
Voting Attendance: 66%
Expenses Last Quarter: $146,499.79

Government Page

Mr. Blaine Calkins (Red Deer—Lacombe, CPC)

Nov/9/23 10:18:01 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-364

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-364, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sentencing). He said: Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for Peterborough—Kawartha for seconding this bill. I want to thank all my colleagues who are a part of the rural crime caucus that we have in the Conservative Party. During the first term of the current government, we struck the rural crime task force. We consulted with Albertans and Canadians from coast to coast. We put together a report called “Toward a Safer Alberta”. That report had numerous recommendations in it, including legislative changes that could be made. Even though we have been through the pandemic, the rural crime statistics still apply today. The police have done what they can. They have reorganized themselves. Governments that are not in charge of the Criminal Code have done everything they can to take this seriously, and there seems to be a new-found interest across the way in the plight of rural Canadians. We can just imagine someone setting up a chop shop or a meth lab in a rural area, far away from the various police stations and communities, which is done purposefully to avoid detection. They cause absolute hell for people in rural communities, because the crime from organized crime elements is absorbed by just a small number of residents. That is why this bill is so important. I encourage my colleagues across the way to give consideration to it. It would change the Criminal Code at the time of sentencing and make it an aggravating factor if somebody is purposefully targeting somebody in a rural area, where proximity to emergency services and police services is a very difficult thing. It does a number of other things, including strengthening provisions for sentencing, when it comes to using or carrying a weapon to a crime scene. It also changes the term “dwelling” to “place”, because lots of break and enters happen to barns and Quonset huts. Lots of other valuables are kept in storage in rural areas. I really encourage all my colleagues in the House to take a look at the bill. Let us get this bill adopted post-haste.

374 words

Context: House Hansard - 150 - Jan/31/23

Mr. Blaine Calkins (Red Deer—Lacombe, CPC)

Jan/31/23 10:34:23 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-35

Mr. Speaker, if a couple, Fred and Martha let us say, living near Hoadley, Alberta in a rural area, have incomes that are close to or just above minimum wage, would they get the pleasure and privilege of paying for day care for millionaires in downtown Toronto or downtown Montreal while their taxes are not going to provide any benefit because there will be no government-sanctioned day care spaces in a community that only has a couple of hundred people?

81 words

Context: House Hansard - 86 - Jun/10/22

Mr. Blaine Calkins (Red Deer—Lacombe, CPC)

Jun/10/22 11:23:36 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I hear from my constituents that their faith in the justice system is absolutely shaken. Rural communities repeatedly targeted by repeat offenders want serious action. Instead, the government is going to let the people who are beating, robbing and shooting at them stay out of jail for these and even more serious offences. This will make things worse. The government's justice reforms fail to address overrepresentation of minority groups in the prison system and they also fail to enhance public safety. Why does the government not do something useful instead of just virtue signalling all the time?

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Member of the panel of chairs for the legislative committees

Blaine Calkins