THUNDER BAY — At an unprecedented time in the country's history, the president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association says it's good to have some experienced MPs representing the region after the completion of the federal election.
Wendy Landry, mayor of Shuniah, said "It's a bit comforting to know the people who held the seats in our ridings are still there, simply because of the economic devastation" the area is still experiencing from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview Tuesday, Landry said she believes it's important to have the ongoing support of MPs who have been working on pandemic-related issues from the onset of the pandemic "at the front table, and keeping in mind the regional perspective."
All four incumbents in the ridings of Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Thunder Bay-Superior North, Kenora and Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing retained their seats, leaving the Northwest with two Liberal MPs, one Conservative and one member of the NDP.
The fact that two MPs are members of the governing party, Landry said, is particularly important.
"It's a benefit to all our municipalities... When we're talking about being on the radar of the government and the prime minister."
Landry added that it's always easy to criticize people in government but it's never easy to be in charge when dealing with something like a pandemic.
Nonetheless, Landry admits to regretting the election's $610 million price tag.
"It would be horrible for me to not be concerned about it. It's a lot of money that definitely could have been put toward programs to help people through this fourth phase of the pandemic. And we don't even know what's yet to come."
She also observed that holding an election during a pandemic wasn't necessarily the best timing, but said "we could very well be in a pandemic still next year...this pandemic has got a mind of its own, and it's taking us in directions that we didn't know we would be going in."
Landry expressed some sympathy for the plight of any minority government, noting that the governing party is always operating under the threat of a no-confidence vote that can force an election at any time.
However, now that the country has had two elections in under two years, she said she expects parties in the House of Commons will be forced to work together to get Canada through its current dire circumstances.
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro weighs in
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro, a former Liberal MPP and cabinet minister under Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, doesn't necessarily agree with those who believe minority governments result in better overall outcomes because parties are required to collaborate.
Mauro said he's worked both in majority and minority government situations at Queen's Park, and feels that when governments are forced to do what's necessary to maintain their mandates, it's not always for the better.
He said how long the new term in Ottawa actually lasts will be up to the opposition parties.
"The next time a budget is tabled, or any confidence vote, there's an ability to trigger an election. I don't imagine that will happen in the near term, because the opposition would pay a price for that," Mauro said.
Monday's vote was instigated by Prime Minister Trudeau himself, but the mayor suggested the timing of the election call needs to be put in perspective.
"Whether it was now or whether it was a year from now, the money ws going to be spent. I understand the criticism. People feel there's some political opportunism in the timing, and I'm not arguing the point."
Mauro added, though, that "Clearly, if you're the ruling party, you're not going to trigger an election when it's not to some political advantage. You're certainly not going to do it when you're behind in the polls...I would expect if it was an NDP government or a Conservative government, they would likely have exercised that opportunity in a similar fashion."
