Portage-Lisgar MP Branden Leslie says returning to Ottawa carries the feeling of a fresh start after a year of prorogation, an election, and a short sitting before summer recess.
"It's kind of got a bit of a back-to-school vibe, of course," notes Leslie. "We're excited to get back and look forward to seeing a lot of promises that this Liberal government has made, hopefully, come into action because they're not all terrible ideas, especially the ones that they certainly stole from the Conservative Party."
He says the Conservative caucus is ready to oppose government policies they disagree with, support those that make sense, and hold the Liberals accountable for what he calls failures and mistruths. Leslie adds that his focus is on putting forward common-sense solutions to help get the country back on track.
Poilievre returns to the Commons
Leslie says it was good to have their leader, Pierre Poilievre, back.
"He had a little bit of a journey to Alberta for his by-election in the summer," says Leslie. "It was good for him to get a sense of some of the concerns of Western Canadians, certainly the natural resource and agricultural sectors in particular."
He adds that reconnecting with colleagues revealed a consistent theme across the country.
"It's pretty clear that there is a crisis facing Canada," adds Leslie. "We still have, just as I heard my colleagues across the country hear the same thing, that there is a cost of living crisis, there is now a job loss crisis, of course, we know in our region an ongoing crime wave, and an immigration crisis."
Environment Committee priorities
Leslie says he is returning as a member of the Environment Committee which will meet later this week.
"I'm excited to be back on the Environment Committee and I'm probably one of the most veteran individuals across the whole committee after only a couple of years in Parliament here," says Leslie. "We had a preparatory meeting amongst our team there and obviously environmental policies are certainly coming to the lights with this government."
He explains he plans to call for studies on electric vehicle mandates and their impact on dealerships, manufacturers, and local economies. Leslie says he will push for discussions to be held publicly for the sake of transparency.
Seeking accountability on major issues
Leslie says he wants answers from the government on key concerns, particularly financial transparency.
"We must remember, we haven't seen a budget from this government in over a year," continues Leslie. "There should have been one in the spring, there was not. There's still delaying as to when this Liberal government might come out with a budget."
He also plans to second a private member’s bill this week called the Jail Not Bail Act, tabled by Conservative MP Arpan Khanna.
"Making sure that we have dangerous and repeat offenders behind bars, not just released on bail," says Leslie. "I think that there's a level of excitement to try to get some answers out of this government and try to propose some good new ideas that are going to be necessary to make our country safer and a better place."
Leslie adds he encourages constituents to contact his office anytime to share their concerns so he can represent them effectively in Ottawa.