One Month Later…
Thank you to the 63,203 people who voted in the October 19,
2015 election. Almost 74% of eligible voters in Kootenay Columbia took that
walk to the polls, which was amongst the highest in Canada! This election was
an excellent example of how every vote counts, and it is an honor to serve you
as your Member of Parliament. So what’s been happening in the first month?
Starting out as a Member of Parliament is incredibly busy.
One of the challenges is setting up offices – my plan is to have staff in
Ottawa, Nelson and Cranbrook for January 4, 2016. This involves leasing new space
and furnishing the offices with the recycled inventory used by the former MP as
the furniture, computers, etc. are all owned by the House of Commons. I plan on
having one staff person in Ottawa and four in the riding so that you get good
service here at home!
We are assigned office locations in Ottawa based on “standing,”
so for this 42nd Session of Parliament Liberal MPs picked their
offices first, Conservative MPs second, and we are in process of picking our
offices now. The next update will include my Ottawa office information – even
if we’re picking third it is an honor to have an office on Parliament Hill!
I also have to hire the staff. The NDP has unionized
Constituency and Parliamentary Assistants and since we went from 103 seats to
44 in the election, there are several hundred qualified people in Ottawa who,
under the contract, get the first opportunity to bid on the jobs both in Ottawa
and across the country. That process is underway.
The MP has to serve their constituents whether permanent staff
is in place or not. In the last month I have attended meetings and events in
Fernie, Cranbrook, Creston, Invermere, Nelson, Kaslo and Johnson’s Landing.
There have been phone calls (250.919.9104) and emails (wayne.stetski@parl.gc.ca) and
letters (PO Box 872, Cranbrook V1C 4J6 until January 1 and then send mail to
Unit B – 111 7th Ave S, Cranbrook V1C 2J3) to answer.
There have been about 100 letters so far including those
waiting for me in Ottawa. Experienced MPs have told me that once everything is
up and running an MP can expect to get between 300 and 500 emails per day. If
you have sent me some correspondence and haven’t heard back yet please be
patient – you will get a response! Phone me if it is urgent.
In the last month I was also in Ottawa for 5 days
participating in an intensive orientation focused on finance and admin and the
non-parliamentary aspects of being an MP. We are given a budget that includes
staff salaries, office leases, providing information to constituents, in-riding
travel, etc. If we go over it we pay for it out of our own pockets!
On average we spend over six months of the year in Ottawa
participating in Parliament and other national responsibilities (for example I
am the NDP critic for National Parks) so I also have to find accommodation in
Ottawa. The balance of the year is spent traveling around the riding meeting
with constituents.
Our job as the Progressive Opposition is to make government
and Canada better, and that is exactly what we will do!
Parliament begins on December 3 and continues until December
11 before breaking for Christmas. My next update will include a look at what
it’s like to sit in the House of Commons as your MP. I’m sure it will be an
exciting and humbling experience!
Have a happy Holiday Season and a great New Year! I hope to
see many of you during the break when I start my 'Coffee With Your MP' sessions
around the riding!
Wayne Stetski
Member of Parliament
Kootenay Columbia
