Federal MP Gary Vidal speaks on Appointment, Unique District, and Shadow Minister Accountability

Gary Vidal (Conservative Party, Federal) Member of Parliament for the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River riding in Northern Saskatchewan says he welcomes the complex, messy nature of being a right-leaning MP in a classically left region -- but will his moderate stance win over any voters?

"This riding is just so large--it's not possible for one person to be in Otttawa and everywhere else -- that's why one of my first actions was to hire Dion Petz as a 'Constituency and Inclusion Coordinator' -- is what we called it -- to talk to folks, make connections when I am unable" - MP Gary Vidal.  

Vidal said this employment strategy was somewhat novel for the appointment, but that he and his team thought it necessary. 

Vidal's appointment comes recently, in Q4 of 2019 and has strings attached: Gary Vidal is also the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Services, and is active in the newly formed Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. Vidal says this role requires balance, as he's expected to be critical of his college: the honourable Mark Miller, on topics as sensitive as First Nations Health and Welfare, Education, Indian Act Rights, and more. 

At a public-pre-covid-facing meeting at La Ronge's Harbour Inn, Vidal spoke earnestly with tri-community citizens about their concerns: NGO funding, culturally-appropriate representation, and property law conversations could be overheard. It was only the second time Vidal had been to La Ronge, though he welcomes many more. 

When asked about possible work into ongoing crisis in Mental Health, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and more, Vidal spoke optimistically about the Standing Committee's ability to develop bi-partisan Working Groups on these important issues. 

Vidal offers a 'listening-first' approach, he says, and it is one he hopes will allow him to reconcile such a large and diverse electorate: at some 343,000 square kilometers his is the second or third largest riding in Canada (excluding the Territories), and depending where you go for statistics.