Cowichan-Malahat-Langford New Democrat Alistair MacGregor is thinking ahead to his return to Ottawa following the election campaign.
MacGregor says an issue that dominated discussions on the door steps during the campaign was affordable housing.
He says he plans to work with service organizations and local municipalities to “make sure that we are getting the appropriate amount of federal funding to really tackle this problem head-on,” as it affects so many people in the region.
MacGregor says another major issue among voters during the campaign was the cost of living, particularly for seniors on fixed incomes.
He says climate change was another concern because the hot weather and extreme drought conditions during the summer were still very much top-of-mind among voters.
According to MacGregor, “people understand that is probably the new normal for our region,” and says it adds urgency to introducing policies that effectively deal with climate change.
In addition, he says it’s essential to develop “a just transition strategy to really help workers get into those new industries that are going to be a part of our renewable energy economy.”
MacGregor says there are opportunities for upgrading our transit systems, retrofitting buildings to make them more energy-efficient, and getting people involved in deploying a whole range of alternative renewable energy sources.
Now that the campaign is over, MacGregor is thanking the volunteers that worked on his re-election campaign, and the people of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford for placing their trust in him again.
MacGregor also says he wants to recognize his opponents, Alana DeLong of the Conservatives, Blair Herbert of the Liberals, Lia Versaevel of the Greens, and Mark Hecht of the PPC, for representing their parties and running good campaigns.
