Report From Parliament Hill:

Eric Melillo, MP, Kenora Riding

Dear Constituents,

I hope everyone stayed warm and safe during the recent snowstorm.  Thank you to all the personnel working around the clock to keep our communities moving. For those who celebrate, I hope you had a blessed Good Friday, and a Happy Easter. Carbon Capture Tour
Last week, along with a few of my Conservative colleagues I toured a carbon capture facility in southeast Saskatchewan. This facility, the SaskPower Boundary Dam, has captured 4.4 million tonnes of carbon.  In my role as a member of the Natural Resources Committee I’ve been studying how various forms of technology such as carbon capture can help Canada meet its climate goals, without passing on costs to the consumer, which allows industry and Canadians to thrive. 
National Security
In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Canada has been forced to re-examine our trade partners, defence spending and our Arctic sovereignty.  Canada’s allies such as Finland, Germany and Australia are taking their national security seriously, and have all increased their defence spending.  However, the recent 2022 federal budget makes it clear that Canada has no plan to increase defence spending to reach the two percent of GDP that Canada has committed to under NATO.  In an ever-increasingly dangerous world, Canada must step up and meet its NATO commitments while ensuring our Canadian Armed Forces have all the support they need, to defend Canada.  The NDP-Liberal government must stop nickel and diming the Canadian Armed Forces and finally take our national security seriously.
Passport Updates
As international travel resumes, if you or anyone you know needs assistance with the passport application process, please reach out to my office.  There have been recent notable changes to the renewal of adult passports.  With the simplified renewal process, applicants who are renewing a passport that was issued within the last 15 years no longer need to have a guarantor or to provide their original documents, such as proof of citizenship or photo identification. They simply need two photos, two references, their completed form and the applicable fees. This new change should make the passport renewal process easier. My office is available to assist with passports anytime during our regular hours. 
Working for You
As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, please call me at 807-223-2182 (Dryden) or 807-468-2170 (Kenora) 
or email me at eric.melillo@parl.gc.ca.
Sincerely,
Eric Melillo
Member of Parliament