Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Sets Focus on Carbon Tax and Rural Internet Availability

The last time we spoke with Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa MP Dan Mazier he was serving on the science committee, but as of the fall session of parliament he has moved on to the committee for the environment and climate change. That makes the carbon tax a key issue not just for his party but for him particularly.

Mazier says that rural Canada is being penalised disproportionately by carbon tax because there are no other transportation options in large parts of the country. Instead of a tax, he’d like to see investment in more efficient technologies to reduce emissions. When asked what the first thing a PC government would do if it got into power in the next election, Mazier immediately said “axe the carbon tax”, underlining his and his party’s position on the subject.

Of particular interest to his home constituency is Mazier’s private member’s bill on Internet service, Bill 288, which has passed the House and is now sitting in the senate. The bill pushes for accuracy from providers on what speeds can realistically be expected from their services. When asked about the high prices Canada pays for Internet and cellular service compared to some of our neighbours, Mazier cites a lack of competition for driving prices up.

He also talks about the generational change that has been happening around technology, and the ubiquity of needing that connectivity for everything from work to emergency services. One of his goals in travelling to the 38 municipalities and 14 First Nations in his constituency is to find out what their needs are in terms of connectivity and the infrastructure to support it. Host Don Walmsley adds that with rural Canada becoming a more popular destination for both newcomers and tourists, that technology is vital, and accuracy about what is available and what holes there are in the coverage area are equally important.

Immigration and settlement are also topics of particular interest in this area, and while they aren’t part of Mazier’s official portfolio, he mentions his interest in launching a Blue Seal program to standardize professional qualifications across the country. Walmsley adds that while that is important, the largest percentage of people coming in right now are in the trades and do not come with professional designations. Mazier also says he thinks they should prioritize bringing over families in the short term rather than in the long term when one family member is tapped to fill a role, and need to look at different types of family units, to give new Canadians a better start.

Finally, Mazier mentions crime is becoming a priority, citing some statistics from Swan River which is within the constituency, and advocates for mandatory minimums for repeat offenders. However, he does not have a solution for addressing the already over-capacity penal system outside of prioritizing violent repeat offenders when it comes to space allocations.