Louis ready to get back to work on Parliament Hill

MP sitting on procedure and house affairs committee

Kitchener-Conestoga MP Tim Louis says he spent the summer listening to constituents before returning to Ottawa. timlouismp.ca photo

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of parliament spent their summers on what is affectionately called the “barbeque circuit” among members of the media.

Tim Louis, MP for Kitchener-Conestoga, said he spent his time at events across the riding listening to what his constituents had to say.

“I get to hear from a lot of people, which is great. I spent the summer listening and here I am calling from Ottawa, taking their voices back.”

Louis said what he’s been hearing is no different from what other MPs have been told from their constituents.

“Protecting our sovereignty, our security, housing and housing costs, and the economy; those are the things I hear about most. There are always more, but those are the main ones.”

Louis’ riding covers Wilmot, Wellesley and Woolwich Townships. The Liberal MP said while the issues are the same in rural areas, the lens is slightly different.

“The solutions are also slightly different. I sit on the Liberal rural caucus and we are having discussions about housing and about more infrastructure spending in the smaller communities. Unlike the cities, land isn’t an issue but it’s usually the infrastructure to support housing and building out communities.”

He added public transit looks different in smaller communities as does homelessness, addiction and gender-based violence.

“These things all exist in rural communities; they just have a different lens and a different focus on addressing those challenges.”

The House of Commons resumed this week and the first Question Period kicked off on Monday a little after 2 p.m. with somewhat of a friendlier tone since former Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Pollievre battled. Louis said he’s more than open to collaborating with the opposition.

“It’s in my nature to work together. I look forward to working with colleagues across party lines and I’m committed to working in good faith. Good ideas can come from all sides and Canadians expect us to work together because we have some common challenges.”

Recently, Canadians have been speaking out about the need for bail reform as violent criminals out on bail continue to reoffend. The Liberals have committed to tabling a bill to address the issue, but the Gazette asked Louis if he would be willing to consider supporting Oxford MP Arpan Khanna’s soon-to-be-released Bail not Jail private members bill.

“I haven’t read Arpan’s bill yet, but I know we are working on legislation ourselves as a government that is coming forward very quickly that will improve the bail system and ensure greater penalties for serious crimes. We will do everything we can to keep communities safe,” Louis said.

Louis added criminal-justice reform should be non-partisan and agreed stronger laws are needed across the county.

“I have shared ideas with the minister of justice and minister of public safety. We have had discussions on this issue for months on the legislation that is coming on the government side. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some similarities between what we are proposing and what Arpan’s bill is likely to propose.”

Committee hearings begin this week in Ottawa and Louis has been selected to be a Liberal member of the procedure and house affairs committee (PROC). It is one of the most influential standing committees as it deals with the rules, procedures and function of the House of Commons.

It reviews and recommends changes to standing orders, which is the rulebook for the House of Commons, and examines issues related to parliamentary privilege. It also oversees the work of Elections Canada and the chief electoral officer which includes reviewing recommendations for the redrawing of riding maps. The PROC makes decisions on how MPs debate, how committees function and how elections are run.

“During the last sitting, I was on three committees; one being the standing joint committee for the scrutiny of regulations (REGS). You need that behind the scenes to deal with procedural regulations behind the scenes. It’s all important and committee work is an important part of what we do here.”