LAKELAND - Lakeland Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs is among Canada’s top parliamentarians, receiving the nod of approval from her colleagues on both sides of the house in the annual Maclean’s Parliamentarians of the Year awards. It is the second time Stubbs has been singled out for her performance as an MP, being named again as the best constituent representative. She first won this honour in 2017.
Maclean’s described the annual awards as a celebration of the elected people who are chosen by their colleagues as the best of the best in the House of Commons. In announcing this year’s winners, Maclean’s noted it “being more important than ever to recognize their hard work in Ottawa and back home in their constituencies.”
“This has been a hard year for democracy. A poll by PEW Research Center in 2020 found that faith in democracy around the world is on the decline, and in some surprising places. More than half of people surveyed in the U.K., the United States, France and Japan said they were dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their country. The dissatisfaction is highest in places where trust in politicians is lowest,” Maclean’s wrote in a statement, while pointing out, “similar polls point to higher levels of trust in Canada, but also worrying declines in some parts of the country, notably in Alberta.”
“We don’t have to look farther than our neighbours to the south to see how quickly poison can spread through a democratic system. When leadership fails to rise to the occasion and politics is seen as a combat sport between enemies, rather than a work in progress between fellow citizens, the shared belief in a seemingly unshakeable system begins to break down,” Maclean’s observed.
Stubbs is well known for her passion for the job and it is prominent when she talks about how she defines her role and, more importantly, her duty as the federally elected representative for the Lakeland region.
“What ultimately matters most to me is what the people of Lakeland think and whether I am earning my keep for them. I am relentlessly driven by the people who sent me here to fight for them, to make sure they’re heard, to speak truth to power, and to help make an impact for them,” she said. “The people of Lakeland have given me an extraordinarily strong mandate – in fact, in 2019, it was the highest for a woman candidate in any constituency, ever, in Canadian history. With that comes an equally immense responsibility, so I want to deliver on their expectations.”
Stubbs is known for her ability to stand her ground in the House and speak unapologetically about the cares of her constituents, the Lakeland and Alberta as a whole.
“It’s my duty - because people, families, businesses, and communities in Lakeland have given so much to Canada for generations, and they’re struggling in real time. They are rightfully frustrated, angry, and worried about their futures, through no fault of their own,” she said.
“Other politicians and pundits might have an opinion of me - but what I really care about most is the people of Lakeland. If colleagues have decided that what I do and how I do it means I am the MP that best represents my constituents, the truth is nothing matters more to me. I will keep at it and continue working hard for Lakeland."
