The Member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa has a few items on his wish list for the coming year.  Robert Sopuck says despite some tough anti-trade talk from President-elect Donald Trump, he would hope that all the export channels and free trade agreements work together to ensure that Canada's exports continue to run smoothly.   Sopuck notes he wants to see the softwood lumber issue finally resolved, adding the Country Of Origin labeling issue also seems to be back on the table.

He says in 2017 he's really looking forward to working closely with the Pallister government, adding he's hearing great things about the Progressive Conservatives in his talks with folks from the hog and mining industries.  Sopuck notes thanks to a very wet autumn and highly saturated soils, he does have serious concerns about spring flooding once again in his riding and across the province.  He adds it's important to ensure that Manitoba’s flood protection infrastructure is in top shape and ready to function.

Sopuck notes approximately forty-five percent of our nation's gross domestic product depends on trade with the United States, so it will be incumbent upon all MPs from all parties to impress upon American lawmakers how important trade with Canada is to their districts within each state.