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Parliament Resumes After Christmas Break

"Jobs, growth and prosperity". Those are the forefront issues for the Tories according to Oxford MP Dave Mackenzie. The House of Commons returned from its Christmas break today. Mackenzie says International Trade is one of many issues he expects to discuss. "Certainly that's one of the areas we've been looking at. As the American markets have had trouble, struggling because of the American economy, we've been looking at International Trade in other economies around the world so that we don't have all of our eggs in one basket when it comes to trade and that's a big focus. There is obviously some changes with taxation that will occur. But the big focus is going to be on retaining the jobs we have and adding to that base". Mackenzie says even though the economy is the biggest issue the Conservatives are facing, Oxford County is in a very stable and healthy state. "Oxford County is kind of a beacon of hope for the rest of Ontario almost and maybe even Canada in some respects in that our manufacturing has gone very well. We have good manufacturing facilities, good management, good employees and our output is very well. And along with that, we also have a very strong agricultural component". Mackenzie expects very little to no new spending; he says any spending will have already been booked. Mackenzie also acknowledged the Idle No More movements protests that were being held at Parliament Hill today saying he has heard from many people and agrees that there is a need for change in the Indian act. Today not only marks the return of Parliament, it also represents Mackenzie's first day in his new appointment. On Friday, the Oxford MP was named as the new Deputy Chief Government Whip. Prior to this, he acted as the Chair of Justice Committee.

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