MOOSE JAW — Conservative candidate Fraser Tolmie knows the party is popular in the area but still plans to earn constituents’ votes so he can continue serving as their member of Parliament.
Asked why he should be given a second chance to be the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan constituency’s MP, the incumbent replied, “Because I work hard. Because I don’t take this for granted. Because I believe that we need change and I have been an advocate for that.”
Continuing, Tolmie said it’s great to receive compliments about his work, but he’s always welcomed —and never shied away from — the opportunity to hear constituents’ concerns and how he and the party could potentially improve.
“… I think the people of Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan deserve to have someone (who is) going to work hard for them in Ottawa,” he remarked.
Tolmie said he was door-knocking recently and met a constituent who said the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) candidate was the only one with signs up. The constituent appreciated that he was out pounding stakes into the ground, erecting signs and speaking with people.
The constituent added that Tolmie and the Conservatives were “earning this election and working hard,” which was positive feedback the incumbent MP appreciated hearing.
A bigger constituency
The constituency is 41,290 square kilometres (15,940 square miles) in size, which is bigger than Switzerland, Tolmie said. Moreover, the riding expanded geographically to include parts of the Swift Current-Grasslands-Kindersley constituency, so his team has had to educate those new voters about who their Conservative candidate is.
Tolmie said they were well-prepared to handle that change since they spoke to Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer, who pointed them to some “excellent volunteers” who would erect signs and work with the Moose Jaw-area candidate.
Tolmie added that his team distributed over 500 lawn signs in the first week of the election, while he was forced to send more to some communities. To counteract this issue, his team is leaving more lawn signs with area lieutenants to distribute upon request.
The main issue
The top election issue in Tolmie’s mind is the cost-of-living crisis that Canadians have experienced during the past 10 years under Liberal and Liberal-NDP coalition governments.
“… they have used coercive tactics to extort money out of citizens. You don’t pay taxes, the government takes taxes,” he said.
The CPC went after the Liberals for their carbon tax policy, which the latter claimed benefited 80 per cent of Canadians. Tolmie pointed out that the Liberals eventually cancelled the policy — “they flip-flopped” — but not before imposing major costs on Canadians.
Tolmie questioned whether the Liberals really cared about the environment, while he said that everyday Canadians “paid out the nose” in higher taxes. This policy also forced many to use food banks since they couldn’t afford groceries.
“This really upsets me. This really, really gets under my grill because we have seen that the (Moose Jaw) food bank almost had to close down this last summer,” he said, noting regular donors couldn’t give because they had no money.
It’s “a win” that the Liberals reduced the consumer carbon tax to zero, but they can’t be trusted since they likely “have another backdoor policy,” Tolmie continued. However, the Conservatives’ recent announcement about cutting income taxes and saving workers roughly $900 a year should help address the cost-of-living problems.
“… We have a better platform than the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party is in disarray. They’re making things up as they go along,” he added.
First-term reflections
and, within six months, was involved in helping choose a new leader — Pierre Polievre — for the Conservative Party.
During the next two years, the Moose Javian supported the party’s “laser focus” highlighting the negative effects the “poor NDP and Liberal” policies had on everyday Canadians. Meanwhile, the last significant issue during his first term was the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“It’s been a very, very unique first four years and I don’t know what we’re in store for for the next (four),” he said. “But … hopefully we win the confidence of the people of this riding and they send us back and we will continue to advocate for our constituents.”
Helping veterans
Tolmie was the Conservatives’ deputy critic of Veterans Affairs (VA) and was grateful for the position since it allowed him to attend committee meetings and learn how poorly the Canadian government was treating veterans, which was “heartbreaking.”
As an Air Force veteran himself, the MP received a rejection letter from the VA about acquiring services and was forced to go through that process again and experience “the disappointment that others have gone through.”
“I think we could do a much better job looking after our veterans, especially for the challenges that we’ve called upon them to do,” Tolmie added.
Supporting farmers
Besides supporting veterans, including the riding’s two military bases, the incumbent MP also supported farmers since they felt ignored — and many times, attacked — by Ottawa.
Tolmie pointed to the Liberals’ edict that farmers must reduce their fertilizer use by 30 per cent using European-style farming practices. He noted that that doesn’t work in Saskatchewan, while the edict ignores the fact that Canadian farmers know their soil and its moisture content. Moreover, as knowledgeable businesspeople, they have already implemented best practices to maximize their crops.
“We’re a bread basket(-producing country) and we have to maintain that. We have the potential to be an agriculture superpower and Ottawa has turned their backs on the farmers … ,” Tolmie said.
“So, it’s time for a new government.”
Accomplishments
Meanwhile, one accomplishment Tolmie was most proud of during the past four years was working with the Conservative Party to give new Canadians an in-person citizenship swearing-in ceremony, since the Liberals decided to have online ceremonies only.
He pointed out that new immigrants couldn’t wait to receive their citizenship but faced a government bureaucracy that ignored their special moment. So, the Conservatives hosted ceremonies and helped these people recognize “this great accomplishment” of becoming Canadian.
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