Randy Hoback of the Conservative Party has represented Prince Albert since 2008. (File Photo/Christian Diotte, House of Commons Photo Services)

By Susan McNeil

Looking back

Year in Review: MP Randy Hoback talks trade and international conflict

Jan 2, 2024 | 5:00 PM

As 2023 draws to a close, paNOW is taking a look back on the most important and impactful stories of the year, as selected by our reporters and editorial staff.

Affordability and inflation were the top concerns for Prince Albert member of Parliament Randy Hoback when he looked back on the year that was.

He said it is concerning when people start feeling increased food insecurity.

“Rent has gone up substantially, mortgage payments, interest has gone up. Those are the things I hear most about when I talk to people throughout the riding and probably font and centre as they go into the Christmas season,” said Hoback.

He said the things influencing the problems have come from both inside and outside of the country, pointing to a lack of response by the federal government.

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“That’s a true criticism there. They should have responded quicker. The reality is that when throw things like a carbon tax and keep raising the carbon tax when they can’t afford what they have today, that doesn’t show a lot of sensitivity to what people are going through,” said Hoback.

Some people are struggling for every dollar and having to give more to the federal government does not help them, he said.

He also pointed out that if people saw some return on their dollars, they might be more accepting of the tax and in his opinion, it is not working.

Hoback suggested there might be other ways to accomplish the same goal without impacting the ability of people to heat their home.

As the Associate Shadow Minister for International Trade, he has spent time travelling to the G20 in Bali and to France for OECD/WTO. Mostly he focusses on the US.

“I’m doing a lot of work in the US preparing for the USMCA review that comes up in 2026 making sure that no matter who comes into the presidency there that we’re well-prepared and ready for that review,” said Hoback.

The idea is to focus on things that impact Canada. Saskatchewan as an exporting province is heavily impacted by trade issues with other jurisdictions.

The government is still focused on how to help Ukraine as it deals with the ongoing war and invasion by the Russians.

Hoback pointed out that the ability of Ukraine to resist and withstand military pressure from a world superpower has been a good surprise.

“They weren’t supposed to last two weeks when Russia invaded and now we’re looking at the fact that not only are they pushing them back, they’re going to win this thing,” he said.

When he talks to his counterparts in the United States, his message is that the West needs to show the same stamina and remember that Ukrainians are fighting Putin and Russia, not western countries.

Not putting up roadblocks for Putin to expand into Ukraine could signal China that there would also be no resistance if they went into Taiwan or Russian expansion into Poland. Both of those scenarios involve Canadian and American military responses, he said.

“It costs money but in the same breath it’s the best use of our resources right now. To really hold firm and help Ukraine out and help them get through this,” Hoback explained. After that, Ukraine will need help to re-build essentially from the ground up and including everything from the justice system and the democracy.

Expanding to the second major conflict in the world, he said that Hamas started the current conflict with Israel, is a terrorist organization and Israel has the right to defend itself.

“But having said that, it’s kids and women getting killed and that’s not good,” Hoback said. “I look at it like how do we help them? How do we help the innocent by-standers in this? It’s really tough and there’s no easy answer here.”

The actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization, are unacceptable and the group should not be allowed to exist.

“There is no justification for what they have done. It was brutal, it was shameful. It was just un-imaginable,” he said.

Asked about the current poll results that place Conservatives ahead of Liberals, Hoback quoted John Diefenbaker who said ‘poles are good for dogs and other things’. The only poll that matters is the one involving voting Canadians on election day.

He still thinks that Canadians are tired of the federal Liberals and that the party has no creative ideas left.

Canada has the resources the world needs to address climate change but when the federal government says a blanket no, it actually slows the process, Hoback said.

The US is now calling Canada’s bluff and saying that its all well and good to talk about having resources, the country now needs to be able to get them out of the ground and to market, something Canada has so far not done.

The world is in a dangerous place right now, Hoback said, and Canadians should not be naïve or complacent.

“There’s some realities out there that aren’t pleasant,” said Hoback. “The situation with China and Taiwan is serious. The situation in Russia and Ukraine is very serious.”

Many countries are feeling threatened, and this is what led to Sweden trying to join NATO, Finland did join NATO and Japan has changed its legislation on armaments all in the last year.

There are countries like Russia playing games in northern Canada and we have no ability to protect it, he said.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com