Niagara South’s new Member of Parliament, Fred Davies, is set to officially open his two constituency offices over the next number of days, although his staff have been working hard over the past number of weeks clearing a backlog of cases since the election. As the summer nears its end and Parliament will resume later this fall, Davies spoke with the Niagara Independent about his career, political journey, and his early days in Ottawa.
“I got into this a lot later than most new MPs,” Davies shared with the Niagara Independent. After a business career spanning more than four decades in economic development and finance and time serving as Port Colborne’s Regional Councillor, Davies felt the call to run for office in Ottawa after being impressed with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
“The stars aligned,” said Davies. “I’d met Poilievre a few times and I admired his strength and message. I’m grateful and honoured to have this seat in Ottawa. It’s truly a humbling experience.”
Davies says he has a number of important national and local priorities at he takes his seat in Ottawa.
On the national level, Davies is very focused on dealing with issues like enhancing interprovincial free trade, which he says the Conservatives have been talking about for years, and dealing with Canada’s trade relationship with the United States.
Davies noted that the Carney government appears to be moving on a number of key Conservative priorities and says that’s a good thing.
“If the Liberals want to keep stealing our ideas, if it helps Canada we’re all for it,” said Davies.
In terms of his responsibilities in Ottawa, Davies will be sitting on the Citizenship and Immigration Committee and International Human Rights subcommittee as he heads to Ottawa to represent the people of Niagara South. From dealing with legacy issues related to Canadians abroad to diving into issues that affect Niagara like temporary foreign workers and seasonal workers, Davies is looking forward to his committee work.
Some important local issues include advocating for more investment in the St. Lawrence Seaway – particularly to rehabilitate two wharfs in Port Colborne. Davies points out that those wharfs represent critical infrastructure that has been out of use for over two decades but can be a significant economic generator for Niagara.
Another issue is to get new scanning technology for the Peace Bridge operational. With car thefts reaching dangerous new levels, Davies says this technology can provide immediate scanning of all commercial traffic, including at other ports in Canada. Davies says he has been in contact with several ministers urging them to greenlight this new technology to see it deployed across Canada.
Davies says he has spent most of the summer meeting with local stakeholders to better represent their interests in Ottawa come the fall.
It really is a full circle moment for Davies, as he first went to Ottawa in 1979 to work for Progressive Conservative MP Girve Fretz. Davies feels his background working as a staffer on Parliament Hill in the 1980s has really equipped him to meet the moment.
Davies also noted that Niagara South hasn’t had a Conservative MP in over 35 years, and he highlighted what a privilege it is to represent the region as a Conservative in Ottawa.
“When I walked up to Parliament Hill for the first time as an MP, I got a sense of pride and honour,” reflected Davies. “It’s been a humbling experience.”
Davies’ two constituency offices are set to open in the next several days. The main constituency office in Welland at the Seaway Mall on Niagara Street will officially open on Saturday, Aug. 16, while the satellite office in Fort Erie at 46 Jarvis Street will open on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
