It’s been exactly one year since Dan Mazier was elected as the Member of Parliament for Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa.
Mazier says the first year in his new role in federal politics was a learning experience and a big change — it was the first crop year of his life that he had no involvement in seeding and being on the land.
The former Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president believes he’s in a strong position to advocate for producers in the riding and understand the issues they face.
Beginning to tackle the issue of rural internet connectivity seemed to be one of the most significant points of focus in Mazier’s first year as MP.
Earlier in the year, Mazier sent out a survey to all constituents in the riding to get their feedback on internet connectivity. He says the dead spots he noticed while travelling all over the riding are unacceptable.
“If we’re not connected to the rest of Canada, all of a sudden there’s lost opportunities. We don’t know what’s going on, we don't know what opportunities are out there.”
Putting the business and educational disadvantages of poor connectivity aside, Mazier also pointed to public safety concerns.
“You get 10 miles out of Dauphin and you have no connection. What happens if your car broke down and you’re in harm's way? You’ve got all these tools available to you [with your phone] and you’re not connected — on a major highway in Manitoba. That’s simply not acceptable.”
Mazier will be holding some town halls around the riding in December to continue stoking the conversation around internet connectivity issues — and plans to visit Dauphin, Swan River, Shoal Lake and Neepawa to meet with residents.
“It’s time for us to start saying ‘this is what we need’. It is an essential service as far as I’m concerned — and it’s something I think we can all stand behind.”
Despite the limitations imposed by the COVID situation, Mazier tells CKDM he was still able to touch base with most of the riding during his small business tour.
The MP for Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa says it all boils down to communication, and welcomes constituents to reach out to him and further the dialogue about what’s happening over in Ottawa.
“Being a new MP, I realized our democracy is good. We live in the best country in the world but democracy takes work from everybody. It’s not a spectator sport.”
Mazier was previously the deputy shadow minister for environment, and has now moved to the fisheries committee.
