Meet the Candidate: Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa PC Candidate Dan Mazier

One of the first things Dan Mazier tells us is that being in Opposition in Parliament means holding the government to account, but also that it is important to work across party lines to get things done. That was one of his big takeaways from the past couple of years. His experience in Ottawa wasn’t a typical one for a first-time Member of Parliament, though. He was only able to sit parliament for about six weeks before COVID-19 changed the way business was done, moving discussions to Zoom and, Mazier feels, getting in the way of a full expression of our democracy.

He goes on to outline the Conservative Party’s five-point recovery plan for Canada, which includes getting people back to work; an accountability act; a national mental health strategy; securing the country so we’re ready for the next health crisis; and balancing the budget in the next ten years.

Economic recovery and growth is a key issue. Tourism, he says, was an area in which this constituency took a real hit during the past year and a half, but it certainly wasn’t the only one. Agri-recovery programs are another priority area, as well as a renewed focus on overdue infrastructure projects that long predate the pandemic.

When asked if balancing the budget in ten years is realistic, particularly after the tremendous government expenditures during the pandemic, Mazier says that he’d like to see it be even sooner than that, but a ten-year plan is certainly more realistic than waiting for the budget to balance itself.

Mazier notes that this geographically large constituency, approximately the size of Nova Scotia, contains 38 municipalities and 11 First Nations. This size makes campaigning around the area a challenge, but also highlights the need for adequate communications. To this end he put forward a private member’s bill, Bill C-299, to address broadband speed reporting by telecom companies, which had its first reading in May of 2021. Mazier indicates that he would like to see all Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2025, and also see an increase in reliable and affordable cell service, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Regarding vaccine mandates and passports, Mazier says we “can’t ram things down people’s throats” and supports individual choice in vaccinating, but at the same time believes we need consistency in the passport process and also to ensure that we provide tools for people who aren’t vaccinated to still participate in society during these times.

One of his last thoughts was on the need for the federal government to address Western alienation and work on unity issues to make sure all Canadians feel represented.

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