May 29 – Polish Embassy Dinner – Laurie joined the Ambassador of Poland, the Ambassador of Romania, and senior military representatives for a working and social dinner to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern.  Canada’s ties with Poland are strong and our two countries are working together in many areas, including the mission in Afghanistan.

May 22 - 28 - Trip Three to Afghanistan - Laurie joined the other members of the Standing Committee on National Defence for his third trip to Afghanistan in 18 months.  A fulll day was spent in Kabul with information sessions with the Canadian Embassy; an hour with President Hamid Karzai; meetings with Defence Minister Rahim Wardak, the Speaker of the Afghan Parliament and various Afghan MPs; and a working dinner with the Ambassadors of the United States, Great Britain, Denmark, The Netherlands and Australia.  Kabul was like any other large city with traffic and people teeming everywhere.  Two full days were spent in Kandahar, getting a close look at current operations and the status of the mission.  Extensive briefings set the stage for visits to the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the training facility for the Afghan National Army.  One highlight was a two-hour working session with the Kandahar Provincial Council, where the group heard from the elected Afghan officials who administer local affairs and projects in Kandahar Province.  There were a lot of opportunities to interact with Canada's men and women in and out of uniform and, of course, a double-double at Tim Hortons.  The message was very consistent - despite undeniable challenges, there is clear progress, especially in the training of the Afghan National Army.  Canada's whole of government approach to the mission is really starting to have effect.

With the Speaker of the Afghanistan Parliament

Chatting with a member of the Kandahar Provincial Council

With Commander Joint Task Force Afghanistan BGen Denis Thompson and Representative of Canada in Kandahar Ellisa Goldberg

Presenting a flag signed by Edmonton school children to Col. Jamie Cade and BGen Peter Atkinson

Traffic in Kabul

May 21 - Maple Flag Tour - Laurie made his annual trip to 4 Wing Cold Lake to take a group of people on a tour of the base and an inside look at the large multi-national Exercise Maple Flag.  This is a very realistic air exercise that involves forces from around the world in preparing them to operate together in potential conflicts.  Visitors are always amazed at the amount of technology at Cold Lake and highly impressed with the capability that is on display.

May 20 - Edmonton Caucus - Laurie chaired another meeting of the Edmonton Caucus, which includes the eight Edmonton Members of Parliament.  Items of interest to the Edmonton area are discussed and it is a good way to coordinate activity for the overall benefit of the region.

May 20 - Constituency Day - This was another of the regularly scheduled days where Laurie meets with constituents one-on-one in order to assist people with a wide variety of situations.

May 15 - 16 - Visit to Cold Lake - Laurie accompanied Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Peter MacKay to Laurie's old stomping grounds at 4 Wing Cold Lake.  The purpose of the trip was to familiarize the Minister with operations of Canada's fighter force, view Exercise Maple Flag and get a first-hand look at the recent upgrades to the CF-18 Hornet, Canada's frontline fighter.  To accomplish that latter, Laurie and the Minister hopped in the back seats of two CF-18s and joined 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron on a mission.  It felt good to be "back in the saddle".

MND on my wing

"Fat Daddy, "Hawnski", MND and "Pig" after happy landings

May 10 - Somaliland Independence - Laurie and Judy attended the celebration commemorating the 17th anniversary of the independence of Somaliland and Laurie brought greetings in their language.  There are hundreds of new Canadians from Somaliland in Edmonton and they are an important part of our multi-cultural makeup.

Laurie and Judy with a couple of happy Somalilanders

Some of the large crowd in attendance

May 10 - Edmonton Consular Ball - Laurie and Judy attended this annual event that brings together the Edmonton consular communities, representing dozens of countries and members of Edmonton's ethnically diverse population.  The various consuls promote trade, immigration and cultural issues.

May 10 - M&M Meats for Crohn's and Colitis - Laurie spent time at the M&M Meat Shoppe in Oliver Square helping to serve burgers and dogs to people in support of funding for the fight against Crohn's and Colitis, disease that affects many thousands of Canadians.

Flipping burgers with other volunteers

May 10 - 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel - Laurie brought greetings, including some in Hebrew, to the members of the Beth Shalom Synagogue on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.

May 9 - CASA For Kids - Laurie and Judy attended this 7th annual event to help raise funds to support children suffering from mental illness.  CASA is a major community-based provider of mental health services for infants, children, adolescents and their families within the Capital Region and from Central and Northern Alberta.

May 8 - Visit of Sir Martin Gilbert - Laurie hosted Sir Martin Gilbert, Lady Gilbert and a number of Canadian veterans of World War II Bomber Command for the anniversary of Victory in Europe.  Sir Martin is the official biographer of Winston Churchill and has dozens of books published on the life of Sir Winston and many other historical topics.  An effort is being mounted to give special recognition to those who served in Bomber Command, which suffered the highest loss rates of the war.

May 4 - Confucius Institute of Edmonton - Laurie joined the His Honour Norman Kwong and dignitaries form the Alberta Government, China and the Edmonton Public School Board in opening the Confucius Institute of Edmonton. The institute will promote the learning of Chinese language and culture under the umbrella of the Edmonton Public School Board.

Speaking Mandarin - sort of.

 
Cutting the ribbon

May 4 - Battle of the Atlantic Parade and Service - Laurie attended the parade at HMCS Nonsuch and brought greetings on behalf of the Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs. A church service at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Alberta Legislature followed the parade.

Addressing the parade

Chatting with Battle of the Atlantic Veteran Gordon Wright 

 
Laying a wreath

May 3 - Yellow Ribbon Gala - Laurie and Judy attended this annual gala at the Edmonton Garrison to raise money for the Edmonton Military Family Resource Centre. The MFRC runs programs for families of service men and women serving on operations overseas.

May 3 - Holodomor Memorial - Laurie attended and spoke at the Alberta Legislature in memory of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932 - 1933. This forced famine by the Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin claimed the lives of at least 10 million Ukrainians and has been labeled a genocide. On the initiative of the International Coordinating Committee Ukrainian World Congress, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry is organizing the journey of an International Remembrance Flame designed to raise awareness of the Holodomor on the occasion of the 75th anniversary. The Flame is being escorted throughout Canada by Holodomor survivor Mr. Stefan Horlatsch.

 
With Ukrainian Canadian Congress President Paul Grod and Holodomor survivor Stefan Horlatsch

May 2 - Battle of the Atlantic Mess Dinner - Laurie and Judy attended this formal dinner to honour the 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, a six-year campaign that cost the lives of over 5,000 Canadians, but kept the vital supply lines open to Europe during the Second World War.

May 2 - Service Canada Centre for Youth Grand Opening - On behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Laurie officiated at the opening of the this facility to assist young people in finding summer employment. A variety of Edmonton businesses were set up to give guidance and receive resumes and a new computer job search service was initaited.  

 
Opening the Centre 

Apr 27 - Laurie's Choral Singing Debut - Laurie joined the Pro Coro Canada Chorus on stage at the Winspear Centre for a celebrity performance as part of a concert of professional choral music featuring soprano Linda Perillo. Laurie was joined in the celebrity chorus by the Hon. Gene Zwozdesky and his wife Christine, Senator Tommy Banks, City Councilor Ben Henderson and a few others. Bach and Tchaikovsky may be rolling over in their graves and Ave Maria may never be the same.  

Rehearsing at the Winspear 

Apr 26 - Mad Hatter's Gala - Laurie and Judy attended this annual fund raiser for Grant MacEwan Community College. Hundreds of people enjoyed an excellent meal, entertainment and a chance to bid on dozens of attractive items. In total, almost $2 million dollars was raised in support of Grant MacEwan programs and students.

Apr 25 - Laurie's Standup Comedy Debut - Laurie traveled to London, Ontario to take part in the Finan Comedy Show. This is an annual event sponsored by London businessman John Finan, in support of the Canadian Forces. The crowd of about 700 enjoyed some professional comedians and the amateur contributions by Laurie and LCol Andrew Butters, Chief of Staff of 31 Brigade, London's Army Reserve Unit.

Delivering the lines

 
Part of the crowd of 700 people 

Apr 24 - Hope Mission Annual Banquet - Laurie brought greetings to this annual event to celebrate the success of graduates from the Hope Missions' programs of rehabilitation. The Hope Mission has been serving Edmonton since 1929.

Apr 24 - Norquest College Tour - Laurie and the Edmonton Caucus toured Norquest College and received briefings on programs and plans for the future. Norquest College plays a very important role in equipping immigrants for Canada's job market.

Apr 24 - Edmonton Caucus - Laurie chaired this regular meeting of the Edmonton Caucus, made up of the eight MPs representing Edmonton ridings. It's a great opportunity to apply the strength of numbers to challenges facing Edmonton.

Apr 23 - On the streets again - Laurie and his team hit the streets again to talk to Edmontonians with another evening of door knocking.

Door knockers Steven, Sabrina nd Andrew 

Apr 23 - Budget Breakfast - Laurie joined a sell-out crowd at the Sutton Place to hear the Honourable Iris Evans, Alberta Minister of Finance discuss the highlights of her budget delivered the day before at the Alberta Legislature.

Apr 22 - More new citizens - Laurie greeted another 85 new Canadians in their own languages as they became citizens before Judge Sonia Bitar. 

Happy new Canadians 

Apr 21 - Northlands Annual General Meeting - Laurie brought greetings to the Northlands AGM and shared dinner with their Honours Norman and Mary Kwong. Northlands is a huge player on the Edmonton scene and a very important member of the Edmonton entertainment and sports establishment.

Apr 19 - 700 Wing Charter Night - Laurie and Judy attended this annual event staged by 700 Wing of the Air Force Association of Canada. It was an excellent evening of friendship and the swapping of "war stories". 700 Wing is a strong community supporter and a sponsor of Air Cadet activities.

Apr 19 - Door Knocking - Now that the provincial election is over and the weather has improved, Laurie and his team of volunteers are hitting the streets again to find out what's on the minds of people in Edmonton Centre. Laurie truly enjoys this face-to-face interaction and they may be coming to a neighbourhood near you.

Apr 19 - Citizenship Ceremony - Laurie joined Judge Sonia Bitar to welcome about 70 new Canadians on their big day of attaining citizenship on Edmonton's Law Day. Laurie gave a welcome in over a dozen languages and is always very glad to be a part of such an important event in immigrants' lives. 

 
The Official Team 

Apr 18 - Men of Honour Gala - Laurie and Judy joined in saluting ten Men of Honour in this annual celebration sponsored by the Prostitution Awareness and Action Foundation of Edmonton. PAAFE works through partnerships to create and pursue strategies to address sexual exploitation and the harms created by prostitution.

Speaking to the Men of Honour

Apr 17 - Vaisahki - Laurie and a large crowd of MPs and Senators attended a very colourful ceremony on Parliament Hill in annual celebration of Canada's Sikh heritage and cultrure. The Prime Minister was also in attendance and a spectacular display of dance kept everyone well entertained. The Indian food was mighty fine, as well.

Apr 12 - S.O.S. Silent March for Justice - Laurie joined a crowd of two hundred for a march from Edmonton's City Hall to the Alberta Legislature in support of changes to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Laurie spoke on the steps of the Legislature about some of the progress that has been made in the justice area and some of the challenges that remain.  

Native drummers get things started at City Hall

Speaking at the Leg 

Apr 11 - Steppin' Out - Laurie and Judy partied in their jeans to help raise money for Edmonton's Youth Emergency Shelter Society. YESS has a strong history of serving youth at risk in a caring, compassionate and concerned manner and has provided an enormous amount of excellent service to the youth of Edmonton.

Apr 8 - Air Force Appreciation Day - Laurie joined many Members of Parliament and Senators for this annual event on the Hill to celebrate the birth of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1924. A special guest this year was General Gene Renuart, Commander-in-Chief of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). NORAD is the bi-national alliance that allows Canada and the United States to cooperate in the defence of North America. 

Laurie and General Renuart with staff members Jane and Randy

Apr 5 - The Loyal Eddies turn One Hundred - Laurie and Judy were proud to attend the centennial celebration of one of Alberta's home-grown regiments. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment has served proudly in combat and peacekeeping operations for the past century and they have earned a place of honour in Canada's history. Two members of the regiment have earned the Victoria Cross, Canada's highest military honour.  

Private Cecil Kinroass, VC

 
Private John Kerr, VC 

Apr 5 - Bernice Dyer turns ninety - Laurie joined Bernice Dyer and her large family for a celebration of her nine decades of raising a family and being a great example of what Canadian family life is all about.  

Laurie and ninety-years-young Bernice Dyer 

Mar 29 - Moreuil Wood Commemoration Parade - Laurie attended this annual event, this year marking the 90th anniversary of the famous battle. The Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) continue their proud history of contributing to Canada and the world with their operations in Afghanistan with the Leopard tank.

 Mar 28 - Mess Dinner - Laurie and Judy joined the officers and families of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) for their annual Mess Dinner to celebrate the Battle of Moreuil Wood. This was a historic battle of the First World War for this proud regiment, and one in which Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew won the Victoria Cross for conspicuous valour in the face of the enemy.  

Lieutenant Gordon Muriel Flowerdew, Victoria Cross