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John Nater says that one thing about him hasn’t changed in the nearly 10 years he’s been the Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington.
Through a global pandemic that changed the way we conduct ourselves in a myriad of ways, to a housing crisis where people can’t afford homes the way they once could, to an unpredictable leader of a once-neighbourly nation, and to tumult here at home, Nater has maintained one characteristic steadfastly: dedication to service.
“Over the last nine and a half years, the issues have changed and how I have served the community has altered a bit, but the focus has always been on how I can best serve the community,” he said. “I’ve supported people in those communities as they’ve faced some really challenging times. When you serve in opposition to the governing party, you have to approach it from the point of view that it doesn’t matter which side of the house has control. I’m here supporting local projects, advocating for government assistance, and I’m going to make ministers responsible for the different programs encourage and support investment in local projects.”
Nater said he’s got no problem working across party lines in support of those issues, but admits it can be a challenge when you have to wait to see if a lifeline will be coming across the aisle but that doesn’t deter him from putting in the work.
And there is plenty of work to be had. A housing market that is unfriendly to first time or young buyers, tariffs threats from American leadership, and internal barriers to success that need to be taken on are just a few examples Nater points to that rank highly among voter concerns for this election.
“We’ve really seen the housing issue and lack of affordability become a key issue over the last few years – there’s been an increase in those who are unhoused in the community, as well as those who experience precarious housing and those who simply can’t get into the market,” he said. “And now you’re seeing what the effects of Donald Trump’s threats are doing and the effect on our economy they have. Stratford is a strong manufacturing sector and we also rely on cross-border tourism, both of which are going to take a hit if we see those increased tariffs put in place. We need to build more homes, simple as that, making sure that folks can get out of their parent’s basement and into their first home. We need to make sure there are rental properties available while encouraging and providing incentives for purpose-built housing in Stratford.”
He also addressed what he believes is the right solution to dealing with tariffs: knocking down all internal trade barriers within Canada.
“We need to take down those trade barriers,” he said. “About six years ago when I was the critic for trade, the Liberal government at the time created a Canadian free trade agreement which was about 300 pages long, but half of it was exceptions. We need to eliminate those exceptions, and I think provincial governments are finally stepping up to the plate and are willing to do that. We can make progress and have a domestic, fully Canadian market, but then we have to react to what is happening south of the border. We need retaliatory tariffs and there’s no question about that. Let’s make sure we hit the things that we can replace with Canadian products so things we can either make in Canada or buy elsewhere so we don’t hurt Canadian industries as much as we’re hurting American industries.”
Nater added that money that comes back from tariffs needs to be applied to the areas that are most affected by the trade war rather than being dispersed elsewhere. He cited past instances where fertilizer tariffs landed in the laps of farmers but they weren’t the ones to get helped out when retaliatory tariffs were put in place.
In a more macro look at the election, Nater admitted that newly elected Liberal leader Mark Carney has been able to take some of the Conservative’s thunder away by vowing to dismantle the consumer carbon tax. With election day just over a month away, Nater says he’s been on the doorstep of this election for some time but sees that some people are just coming around to understanding its implications now.
“There are people that have been busy living their lives, running their businesses, but are just now starting to pay attention to things and how they can get their family from point A to point B while living a life that can be tough,” he said. “I think we need Canadians to test drive the different parties to see where we stand on each of the issues and really dig in deep to see where we stand and if that’s what they’re looking for.”
One of those things people have been looking at in the run-up to this election is the leadership of Pierre Poilievre. For anyone not on his side of the political spectrum, Poilievre has a penchant for rubbing them the wrong way, but Nater has a different view of him.
“I’ve seen Pierre over the last nine and a half years as a colleague and as a leader of the party, but when you see him on the doorstep with families who have struggled and see how he interacts with a small business owner who’ve lost their business and lost hope, you see he’s singularly dedicated and focused on improving their lives and the lives of Canadians,” he said. “He’s 100 per cent dedicated and committed to doing the things that people need.”
With polls up and down daily, predicting any range of outcomes for Canada, Nater said that the only poll that really matters is the one at the end of election day when voters have decided on who they want to govern them. And while early polling suggested that the Conservatives were headed for an easy electoral victory, things have tightened considerably in the time since Carney became Prime Minister. If nothing changes and the status quo holds – and assuming he holds his seat – Nater is ready to head back to Ottawa and do the bidding of those who sent him there.
“I like to say that the voters are always right, so it doesn’t matter what the outcome is,” he said. “That’s the joy of democracy; I think, regardless of the outcome, it is incumbent on those who are elected, the ones given that honour of serving as MPs, to get to work. It’s been a few months since the American government elected to target us with tariffs but Canadians have proven to be strong and we need to be ready to face those challenges. We need to make sure people’s lives are getting better here. First and foremost, we’re running to form the next majority government and we’re asking people for their support. We’re asking Canadians to endorse us, but once the campaign’s over we need to get to work and it doesn’t matter what the outcome is. Our party will be ready to govern and hit the ground running, acting on behalf of Canadians.”