“I’m really excited to represent Cypress Hills-Grasslands,” Jeremy Patzer exclaimed at the beginning of his talk in Assiniboia’s Canalta Hotel during lunch on November 29. The Chamber of Commerce presented the Friday luncheon and meet and greet with the new member of parliament in Canada’s 43rd government. The meeting was sponsored by Nelson GM. Cruz In supplied the lunch of fried chicken and salad. Patzer was officially sworn in as the Conservative MP for Cypress Hills-Grasslands on November 21, after winning 81 per cent of the vote in the riding during the federal election in October.
Throughout his introductory speech, Patzer emphasized how much he’d like the people of Cypress Hills-Grasslands to reach out to him. “I want to listen to what you all have to say. I want to be able to build that trust.” The MP said he wanted to ensure the government maintained a perspective on the needs, hopes and desires of rural Canadians. The native of Frontier also emphasized how he much appreciated the mindset of his rural Canadian voters, because Patzer himself originated from a matching locale. “I understand what small-town living is about. Small towns are the key to this riding.”
Patzer momentarily spoke on his training in the House of Commons as an MP. Presently, he is learning how to work within a governmental role, which is a new career direction. Patzer explained he’d been an employee, but he’d never been an employer before. Patzer compared this new position in government to running a small business, where a team of staffers are working for the MP in Swift Current and Ottawa.
On Friday, the MP still didn’t know what his role would be in the shadow cabinet. But Patzer said he wanted to ease into the role as a federal representative. Regardless, he’s excited to be one of the latest members in the House of Commons. “I’m younger – there’s room to grow in lots of areas. I want to learn from you guys, because I’m representing you.”
Patzer outlined some of his concerns about the Trudeau Liberals. “They’re making the government bigger and bigger. That’s not something I support. We want to keep the government small, so we can best represent the people.” Further, he discussed the Liberal government’s inability to complete large energy developments, such as the Trans Mountain pipeline. “These energy projects need to be done quickly.”
Patzer also reviewed Western Canadian alienation and how the rest of Canada perceived the growing discontent in the prairie provinces after this year’s election. “For the most part, there is a growing understanding,” the MP said in response to a question on how Eastern and Central Canadians were reacting to the general stresses, anxieties and anger of Western Canadians from both the left and right of the spectrum in 2019.
Another participant at the luncheon asked Patzer about his opinion on Andrew Scheer’s leadership position in the Conservative Party. “There’s been lots of outside noise, but I feel he’s right man for the job,” Patzer concluded on a decisive note.
