What does your MP do for the summer?
With Parliament in recess for the summer, what does Red Deer's elected MP, Burton Bailey, do during the break?
Having left Ottawa at the end of June, it’s been a busy month of meetings, stampedes, parades and a lot of fun for Bailey thus far.
“The Calgary Stampede, we had a caucus meeting there where we met with the UCP government, which was really important and informative,” he states.
“The Ponoka Stampede, some of the meetings that I had there, meeting all the Fortis people, meeting Red Deer Polytech, a lot of our business leaders that are part and parcel of these events so it's not all fun, it's a lot of work.”
Touring rodeos and stampedes and consuming over 30 pancakes along the way, Bailey has also experienced some special moments.
“I had the privilege of being the honorary guest to start the Musical Ride, and it was really something just spectacular,” he says.
“I was in two stagecoaches this summer, which was quite something—one going too fast and one going really slow,” he states, preferring the slower of the two.
When the meetings and events aren’t happening, Bailey, like most Albertans, enjoys being outdoors.
Whether it’s enjoying the beach, which he hasn’t quite made it to yet, or just attending festivals, car shows or concerts, Bailey is making the most of his summer before being called back to Parliament.
He’ll also be spending time BBQing with a 40-year-old family recipe that he says has built him a reputation.
“I have probably one of the best steak sauces out there,” he says.
“It was something that was served to the Queen when she was in Canada, so it actually has some history,” he states.
Bailey’s mother picked up the recipe from a friend who cooked the meal for the Queen when she toured through Saskatchewan, and it stuck as the only way to enjoy steak with the Bailey family.
“It's interesting, it involves soy sauce, dry mustard and sherry,” he says.
The summer will also include the normal list of honey-do chores, including mowing the lawn and tackling around-the-house fixes, tidying and readying for fall.
Now settled in his Red Deer office and almost finished setting up his Ottawa office, Bailey says he’s staying focused on his priorities when Parliament resumes in September.
“I've really got some good marching orders to take back to Ottawa and work on,” he states, with plans to continue his platform of housing, healthcare and crime reduction/prevention.
In the meantime, with plenty of summer left, Bailey is looking forward to more events in Red Deer and the region and hoping for more heat.
“I just wish everyone a very safe and happy summer. I hope we get some warm weather. The rain has been really nice, but it'd be nice to have a few hot days coming up while people are off, maybe on some weekends for those of us that are working,” he concludes.
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