A long-time resident of Winkler has decided to seek the nomination as the next Conservative Member of Parliament for Portage-Lisgar.
Don Cruickshank has lived in Winkler for some 18 years, where he met his wife and is raising a young family.
Getting involved in federal politics has been a goal and dream of his.
"Four years ago, I met with Candice Bergen. I'd volunteered on some of her campaigns in the past. I looked her in the eyes, and I said, 'You've done an excellent job serving and we appreciate the work that you've done. And I know that you'll hold your position as long as you want. Nobody's going to unseat you. But at some point in time you're going to decide that your time of service is over, and I would like your position. So what should I do now to get ready for that?' She gave me some great advice and insight on how to position myself to be ready for a run for the nomination in Portage Lisgar."
Chosen as a delegate to the 2021 Conservative convention, Cruickshank was involved in debating, discussing, and voting on party policy.
He has also served as chair of the Parent Advisory Council at J.R. Walkoff school, board chair in his church, and with many other organizations in the community.
"We think Portage-Lisgar is a great place that many people should call home and enjoy."
Quoting a University of Manitoba study on the 'halo effect,' Cruickshank says charities help those in need, doing it cheaper and often better than the government.
"We live in an area where people care about people. There is an agenda that Chrystia Freeland is supposed to take away or revoke the charitable status of pregnancy care centers. There are already laws on the books to deal with dishonest charities. Justin Trudeau is obviously targeting pregnancy care centers because they don't fit with his worldview. Here we need less government control. We need to be able to support our communities through charities. When I go to Ottawa I will make sure we put protection in place for organizations that protect others."
Cruickshank's wife grew up on multi-generational family farm north of Plum Coulee. That family connection has informed his position that farmers don't need bureaucrats telling them how to farm.
"There's a liberal agenda to reduce emissions from farmers by 30%. Now that sounds like, hey, maybe that's a good thing. You know, that will help the environment. But like I said, farmers are good stewards of the land. They have to be. Their livelihood depends on it. My wife's whole family farms or has farmed. I spoke with many of them and this is the way that they see this happening: a reduction in 30% emissions means a reduction in 30% of crops and we know that there's more mouths to feed every day."
Cutting ag production by thirty per cent would result in the loss of many agribusinesses in the area, points out Cruickshank.
He reminds Portage-Lisgar constituents that only party members have a say in choosing the Conservative candidate for the next federal election.