The key reason most elected officials will tell you they ran for office is to make a difference.
Being the Member of Parliament for North Vancouver has taught me there is no shortage of such opportunities – at multiple levels – to do just that.
Over the past nine years, I have had the privilege of serving in several Cabinet roles that have enabled me to have an impact on pressing provincial, national and international issues.
My first priority, however, has been and continues to be here in North Vancouver – advocating on behalf of the people who ‘hired’ me in the first place.
As we move into the last year of the current Parliament, it is perhaps timely to provide you with a better sense of the impact your MP has had – as a sort of “report card.”
The focus of this particular column is my impact at the riding level.
Measuring effectiveness
There are, of course, a number of ways to measure impact. Perhaps the most gratifying type of impact lies within the realm of direct advocacy for constituents.
My constituency case files bear witness to the stories of thousands of individuals and families I and my staff have helped in dealing with bureaucracy, immigration issues, access to government services, housing and more. We’ve also gone to bat for many North Shore not-for-profits seeking help with federal funding.
I have zero hesitation in saying that my constituency office is one of the best in all of Canada.
Direct benefits
Another way to measure impact is to look at the direct benefits your MP has brought to the riding. In this regard, I have worked very hard to solicit federal supports that respond to the priorities of North Vancouverites.
A few examples of this impact would include:
Major economic investments - $21.9B in Coast Guard contracts to Seaspan Shipyards for vessels to renew our Coast Guard fleet, plus $6B for two Royal Canadian Navy support ships. Seaspan is now the largest employer in North Vancouver.
Housing - $135M for initiatives across the North Shore since 2020 plus $18M to the City of North Vancouver this year through the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Environment - $212.3M to the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant; nearly $1M to the Seymour Salmonid Society for the Seymour River slide mitigation project; $3M for local stewardship initiatives.
Transportation - $66.6M for the Lynn Valley Bridge replacement; $21.9M for Lower Lynn Highway 1 improvements; $16.1M for a third Seabus; $20.5M for bus facilities and exchanges; $200K contributed to the feasibility study for Rapid Transit to the North Shore.
Reconciliation - $19M to the Squamish Nation for wastewater, housing, education, and infrastructure projects; $413K to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society for commemoration and reconciliation projects.
Local impact is obviously critically important. But there are many issues of importance to North Vancouverites that lie beyond strictly local needs.
In the next few columns, I look forward to exploring how my work as your representative has also enabled North Vancouver to make an outsized difference in provincial, national and international arenas.