Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Yellowhead MP Gerald Soroka reflected on his first 22 months in office and described what his main goals would be if re-elected next month.
The Conservative politician was elected into office in 2019, succeeding Jim Eglinski and winning 82 per cent of the Yellowhead vote.
鈥淥verall, it has been a great experience and I鈥檓 grateful to the residents of Yellowhead for their trust in providing me with this opportunity,鈥� Soroka said in an email interview.
Soroka described how the nature of his role was impacted from the onset of COVID, with health measures enacted just a few weeks into Parliament.
This resulted in Soroka primarily working from home and attending Parliament and committee meetings through Zoom calls.
Parliament was later able to reconvene in-person by having a small number of attendees and a staggered schedule.
鈥淎dditionally, I always enjoyed being out and about in the community, meeting with residents in my prior role as the Mayor of Yellowhead County, and most of these events were stopped and postponed through the last 18 months, and I really missed the direct contact with residents to talk about and discuss issues,鈥� Soroka added.
鈥淭hat said, I鈥檓 still very excited to be serving the community and with your support, to do so for the next few years.鈥�
Soroka said his party pushed hard on many issues, including those about economics, agriculture, the environment and taxes.
鈥淎 highlight for me was being able to work on the issue of rural internet and improving the process and ability of providers to deliver faster internet service in rural areas,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his solution will also improve the ability of providers to deliver enhanced cell phone coverage to rural communities.鈥�
Soroka began his re-election campaign when he dropped off his first lawn signs on Aug. 15.
He noted how campaigning would be different under COVID-19, adding that there was still uncertainty around the Delta variant.
鈥淐ertainly, I think everyone is more acutely aware and respectful of individual needs for space and choice for personal interactions,鈥� Soroka said.
鈥淢any of our support services and processes have seen delays in raw materials and an escalation in costs. Overall, it ultimately is still about trying to connect with residents here and address their needs and concerns. I am very excited about the Conservative focus for this election, it鈥檚 focused and practical.鈥�
The Conservatives have a five-pronged recovery plan for Canada:
- To recover the million jobs lost through the pandemic
- To enact a new anti-corruption law
- To secure the mental health of Canadians through an action plan
- To create a strategic stockpile of essential products and building the capacity to manufacture vaccines in Canada
- And to secure the economy by balancing the budget over the next decade
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to working with my colleagues on these initiatives as they impact the residents of Yellowhead,鈥� Soroka added.
For Jasper and the rest of the riding, Soroka said there are areas of opportunity to develop a sustainable system for workers and businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors, particularly when economic downturns occur.
鈥淭his will deal specifically with the impacts faced when handling restrictions on international travel and the challenges employers have faced with workforce availability.鈥�
