Sarnia-Lambton's member of parliament says she welcomes questions from residents within the riding as a way of re-engaging the public with political matters.
The subject of public engagement in the democratic process came up during a virtual town hall meeting on April 6, hosted by the Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce.
MP Marilyn Gladu said her office tries to rapidly respond to questions and concerns from constituents but that's not always the case across the board among other MPs. She said it's frustrating to see some members of government avoid questions or give false answers.
"This is just not acceptable and it erodes people's trust in the whole democratic process," said Gladu.
She also alluded to conflict of interest concerns, such as Martine Richard being named interim ethics commissioner, as Richard is the sister-in-law of Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
"There doesn't seem to be a recognition in government that they need to be held to high standards, there needs to be transparency, and there needs to not be a conflict of interest or corruption. Until we can start to see that, people are disengaging," she said. "They're saying, 'I'm not going to vote because I don't like anybody, I think they're all bad.' I certainly hear that [through] social media."
Voter turnout in the 2021 federal election was down at 62 per cent.
Among a variety of topics discussed during the virtual forum, Gladu also expressed her disappointment in the lack of measures being taken to address domestic violence.
"It's disappointing in the extreme that nothing has been done. During the pandemic, the increase in domestic violence was 32 per cent," said Gladu.
"There's nothing in the budget that came out in terms of spending to help address these issues, there have been no changes to the law that have been put forward, and so I think the government has really dropped the ball on something that is becoming a huge issue."
In terms of the budget, Gladu also expressed disappointment over the lack of transportation funding for air and rail services in Sarnia-Lambton and a lack of sufficient support for seniors and those in the agricultural sector.
The budget, tabled in March, projected nearly $60 billion in new spending. Gladu said new spending needs to get "under control" in order to tackle inflation and an expected recession later this year.
"I think the budget did not do justice to Canadians by increasing spending. Now, there is a grocery rebate of $234 for a single person, and the problem with that is the parliamentary budget officer has said the cost of food is increasing by $1,200 a person per year," said Gladu who also referred to the rebate as a "band-aid solution."
However, the local MP was pleased with health spending in terms of dental care but has concerns about what the program will look like.
Several questions asked by Chamber CEO Carrie McEachran also revolved around affordable housing, the labour shortage, support for small businesses, and retaining youth -- specifically those within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
"They have a need for more mental health support, they have a need to be accepted in the community, and there's still issues of violence against the LGBTQ [community] and isolation that happens in the rural parts of the riding," said Gladu. She mentioned that due to inadequate transportation, it's difficult for people in the county to get to the city in order to benefit from available programs and services.
"I think that the events that increase awareness and tolerance -- the PrideFest event, creating the crosswalks -- it's symbolic in some way but I think it creates a message that they are welcome in Sarnia-Lambton and we are creating spaces for them, so I think we just need to continue on the path that we're going," she said.
The hour-long meeting was posted to the chamber's YouTube page and can also be found below.
Gladu was the latest politician to be questioned by the chamber of commerce after a virtual meeting was held with MPP Bob Bailey in January.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWnWHQqVkj0