Paul Dewar celebrates his win on election night.
Paul Dewar has dealt before with trying to make his ideas heard by a Conservative government, so as he prepares to begin his new term as Ottawa Centre’s MP, the New Democrat knows what to expect.
In the last Parliament, Dewar was active in both local and national politics. He tabled private member's bills and worked with community groups to bring their issues to the national agenda.
He says that won’t change in the new government, despite a stronger Conservative minority.
“I, as a member of Parliament, find out not only what the issues are for citizens but what the solutions are,” he says. “We need to be out and present in the community and stay engaged.”
Liberals have held the Ottawa Centre seat for 30 of the 40 years since the constituency was first created in 1968. But the high-profile Dewar was able to garner 39.7 per cent of the vote – a large margin given the quality of the other candidates. He beat star Liberal Penny Collenette by 8,766 votes and Tory businessman Brian McGarry by 10,334.
Nationally, voter turnout hit a record low of about 59 per cent, but 71.5 per cent of voters went to the polls in Ottawa Centre.
Dewar says that many of his current priorities will be similar to those he focused on over the past two years. However, there are a few new issues he’d like to bring to the Commons, as well.
In Ottawa’s urban core, he says, the government’s use of temporary agencies to replace public servants has become a major concern. He says it’s more expensive and takes jobs away from the community, a problem that could become more acute in a recession.
“I want to make sure we make savings in the right area and not cut in the wrong place. Clearly that’s something we need to keep our eye on,” he says.
Dewar also says he’d like to continue pushing issues that built momentum in his past term. Diverse housing, municipal transit, post-secondary education and the protection of both Gatineau Park and the Ottawa River are all high on his list right now.
Particularly close to the heart of those in Centretown right now is the controversy over the location for a national portrait gallery. Dewar has pressured Parliament in the past to put the gallery in the capital, where he says it belongs.
However, as the government has already delayed announcing a decision on the location, Dewar isn’t sure what the outcome will be.
“I’ll be continuing to work with others and put forward the case that it should be in Ottawa. I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone that that makes the most sense."
He says what’s most likely to follow is yet another deferral of the announcement to buy time before releasing an unpopular decision. He’s beginning to worry that the gallery won’t come to Ottawa after all. “I’m not holding my breath for that now.”
The parole office, on Elgin Street, continues to be controversial. The federal government has promised to move it to a new location in 2009 but hasn’t said where.
Dewar says it’s okay if the parole office stays in Centretown, as long as it is located in a more fitting area, preferably in the business district. Last time, the location didn’t comply with regulations, which he says needs to change.
“I just want to make sure that they follow the process and the guidelines,” he says.
One of the most pressing national issues, says Dewar, is that of the environment. With a Conservative government in place, he says that opposition members will need to push to produce a bill dealing with climate change.
“We need to be, as opposition members, not just opposing the government, but proposing what should be done,” he says. “They seem to be needing assistance in this area, to put it mildly.”
Dewar says that the issue needs to stay in the forefront in the next few months.
Parliament should also be providing support for people who want to have their homes and businesses retrofitted or want to find other ways to become environmentally friendly, he says. Part of this is encouraging what he calls “green collar” jobs.
Dewar says he hasn’t given much thought to his political future, past his desire to act as a public servant for the people of Ottawa Centre. He’d like to remain in that role for some time and has enjoyed his role as NDP foreign affairs critic.
“Hopefully, I’ve been able to provide not only some accountability and opposition to the government, but also some ideas about what Canada’s role in the world should be. I have a lot of ideas.”