St. Paul Regional High School graduate and a new member of Parliament, Bernard Trottier, visited his home town last week to attend the local Conservative Party association’s annual general meeting.
Trottier joined MP Brian Storseth in the House of Commons last year after defeating Michael Ignatieff in the west Toronto riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Trottier’s father practiced as a doctor in St. Paul for 35 years.
Trottier called being in the House of Commons interesting, but added “in some ways it’s a lot of theatre. Sometimes it’s not the real world of what you need to do in the constituency,” in an interview with the Journal.
Trottier described his transition from the private sector as a business consultant to government as “reasonably smooth,” saying setting up his team was similar to the business world.
Trottier said he is working on some private members bills, but he plans to run his ideas by the ministry before going public. He is in the 101 spot on the order paper, making his time to present a private member’s bill some time away.
“I’ve got a few ideas in mind,” he says, adding he would like his bill to be more substantive than declaring a day of awareness for “x.”
Trottier said he will have to battle to be reelected and added hiring good staff and focusing on businesses in his riding will help his chances. “It’s a part of Toronto that’s not a bedroom community. There’s a lot of industry, manufacturing and distribution,” he explained. While in the constituency, he focuses on meeting as many people as possible such as service or cultural groups while balancing family life.
Toronto is split evenly among NDP, Liberal and Conservative parties, he said at the AGM. He added that many new Canadians live in the Greater Toronto Area, who mainly have conservative views and improve the prospects for conservatism in the Toronto area.
Trottier spoke to the Conservative brand being built across the country, describing it as about freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and personal and family responsibility. “When people reach for something on a grocery store shelf, it’s because they have a certain faith in the brand. In a way, it’s the same thing with a political party.”
Trottier addressed the upcoming federal budget, saying several departments will receive “efficiencies.” The government plans to cut program spending by five per cent, or $4 billion. “In any business, a five per cent spending cut, that’s business as usual,” according to Trottier. He noted federal spending increased significantly since the 2006 election under Conservative minority government, but added the economic stimulus program ends this year and will take around $10 billion in spending off the books “without doing anything.”
He added the five per cent reduction will be “easy to achieve” and that most ministries are looking at a “10 per cent scenario.”
Regarding leaving his St. Paul to join the House of Commons, “If I have common sense, it comes from being formed here in this community,” he said.
