Falk seeks to return as Provencher’s MP

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This article was published 12/10/2019 (2092 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Provencher’s Conservative incumbent says local support for his party may exceed 2015 levels, as dissatisfied Liberal voters jump ship to the Conservatives and bolster an already solid base.

“I’ve had lots of people tell me at the door, ‘You know, I voted Liberal last time, it has been such a disappointment, I will never do that again,’” Ted Falk said Monday at his Steinbach campaign office, after a day spent door-knocking in Niverville and talking with students at Clearspring Middle School.

It’s the third campaign for Falk, 59, who entered federal politics after a career in the private sector.

A 2013 byelection victory ushered him into Parliament. He was re-elected in 2015.

Falk said he has spent the 2019 campaign knocking on doors, hosting community barbecues, attending fall suppers, and maintaining a presence on social media.

He now plans to lend a hand to fellow Conservative candidates facing tight races in Winnipeg.

Falk said his encounters with Provencher voters suggest many are focused on denying Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau a second term.

“Very common theme: you’ve got to get rid of that Trudeau. That comes up over and over and over again,” he said.

Voters are concerned by Trudeau’s own ethical lapses, as well as his policies, Falk said. He listed Canada’s strained relationship with China and the renegotiated North American trade agreement as two particular points of contention.

At press time, the Conservative Party had yet to release their full platform, but Falk highlighted several campaign promises by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, starting with the party’s plan to eliminate the federal carbon tax.

“Here, carbon tax, it’s a big deal,” Falk said. “(The) middle class, business owners, and moms and dads, commuters—they’re the ones who are paying the price.”

Falk also called Bill C-71, which contains reforms intended to reduce firearm-related crime, “a back-door gun registry” that should be stopped.

“We’ve got lots of hunters, and their privilege of owning a firearm is very important to them,” he explained.

“They’re law-abiding, they’re respectful, and now to have somebody imply further rules and regulations in their sport and in their interest, that does not make them very happy.”

Falk also referenced Scheer’s pledge to make Employment Insurance income tax-free for new parents on maternity or parental leave. Falk said the break would be of help in Provencher, a riding with “tremendous birth rates.”

A Conservative government would also improve the Canada Child Benefit program by basing it on a person’s marginal tax rate instead of their income.

“I think that’s a fairer approach,” Falk said.

He also touted a tax credit for green home renovations. Under the proposed two-year program, eligible homeowners could receive a 20 percent refundable income tax credit for energy-efficient renovations valued between $1,000 and $20,000.

“It’s a good program, and it incentivizes the right behaviour,” Falk said, explaining a preference for positive reinforcement runs through the Conservatives’ environmental plan.

“We think to penalize people with a carbon tax to try and get the correct behaviour is not the right way to do it. We think to encourage people with green incentives is a better approach.”

After nearly six years as an MP, Falk said he’s found an old adage rings true.

“Nothing is certain in politics. Things don’t only change day to day. They change hour to hour.”

Falk said the hardest part of the job is the time away from family. Workdays on Parliament Hill can stretch to 13 or 15 hours.

“It’s a very busy life, and then when you do come home on weekends, I mean, then there’s expectations in the riding,” he said.

In Ottawa, Falk has sat on several Parliamentary committees. Two years ago, he was made deputy shadow minister for employment, workforce development, and labour.

Falk was also one of Scheer’s earliest supporters during the 2017 Conservative Party leadership race.

Asked about his chances at a cabinet post if Scheer forms government, Falk replied, “If it were made available to me, I’d be honoured.”

“There’s more senior people in the province that I suspect will probably be in line for those positions,” he added.

Last week, Scheer publicly stated a government led by him wouldn’t reopen the abortion debate, or support anti-abortion legislation formulated by Conservative backbenchers.

“I am disappointed that he’s closed the door on backbenchers exercising what they believe is probably important to a lot of their constituents,” Falk said.

“As disappointed as I am, do I think that it’s a door that’s closed forever? No, I don’t believe it is.”

He surmised his leader is doing his best to keep the party united.

“I understand our leader’s position, where he’s coming from, and that it’s a very divisive issue, that Canadians aren’t ready for that debate would be his opinion. There could well come a time when Canadians are ready to have that debate and that discussion.”

In the meantime, Falk said staunch anti-abortion MPs like himself “need to have a rational and consistent and scientifically reasonable argument and explanation” that will “give people an opportunity to change their hearts.”

Asked if Scheer’s stance would discourage him from tabling an abortion-related private member’s bill, Falk said it would depend on his party’s seat count.

Falk also responded to criticism that his socially conservative views keep him from adequately representing an increasingly diverse riding.

“I represent everybody,” he said. “I think the majority of constituents have supported me in the past six years, and have sent me to Ottawa to be their representative, and I don’t think they all agree with each other, but they keep voting for me because they think I do a good job of accurately reflecting the constituency as a whole.”

As for Wednesday’s candidate forum at the SRSS, Falk said he plans to tout the economic advantages of a Conservative government, and hopes infighting consumes his competition.

“I hope the lefties all squabble amongst themselves,” he quipped.

Falk was untroubled by the emergence of the People’s Party of Canada, framing it as a vanity vehicle for leader Maxime Bernier rather than as a full-fledged party capable of eroding Conservative support in Provencher.

“There’s people that recognize the danger of having a fractured right, and they know that unless the right is united, then we don’t form government, and they want to see us in government,” Falk said.