The Portage la Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce held a breakfast meeting with MP Branden Leslie on Thursday morning. Leslie took questions from local government officials, business owners and others.
Stefanie Dunn, the Chamber's Executive Director, says they are trying to hold this event consistently.
"We really try to have that huge advocacy piece as part of our mandate and our strategic plan. We want to be the voice with these levels of government for our community, our business community, our nonprofits, and those consumers in our community. So, this was an amazing opportunity for us to lead a discussion with MP Branden Leslie about specific issues and concerns that our community is having. We had a really good response from those in attendance," Dunn stated. "I think it was a really good opportunity to have that face-time with our local representative, especially in our changing world. I know that there are a lot of concerns about labour and inflation; everybody's fighting the same battle nowadays. To have MP Leslie here talking to us, talking with our members of local government, our MLA, it's an interesting perspective that some of us never get to see, those 3 levels of government communicating. So, I think it was a really positive event."
The event saw a crowd gather at the Portage Golf Club to ask questions and share their thoughts with the MP, including MLA Jeff Bereza, Mayor Sharilyn Knox, and several council members.
"I think it's really positive and encouraging to see our team members showing up to this. It shows that you know there is a need to have face time with the decision-makers. It also shows that our community is engaged and that, ultimately, we are all working to make a better Portage. We are all working to make this continue to be an amazing place to live. And for me, I think that's just reaffirming all the work that so many of us do in this community. So, I'm really excited with the turnout. It gives me encouragement to continue to do this type of work and bring this kind of value to our Chamber members."
Dunn emphasizes that this event is only one part of what the Chamber does to help businesses in the community communicate their thoughts to government officials.
"I definitely encourage any Chamber member that has concerns, or even a citizen that has concerns as a consumer, please get in touch with me, either by my e-mail address or send me a message on social media, whatever platform you're most comfortable with. As part of our advocacy, we have regular meetings with all levels of government, the city, the RM, our MLA and our MP, and that's a huge part of what the Chamber does behind the scenes. So definitely, no question, no concern is too small."
City Councillor Joe Masi was one of the local officials in attendance. He believes that the meeting is crucial to ensuring that our interests are heard by the federal government.
"It was really good to have our Member of Parliament out for these kind of dialogues with community leaders. We were able to talk about immigration, crime, municipal infrastructure and finance. So, I think it was really good because, as municipalities, we have to work with provincial and federal governments. So, for us as a city, it was great to see him here and have this dialogue with our Member of Parliament on some of these big-ticket items for our city."
Leslie spoke with PortageOnline after the fact due to time constraints and commitments elsewhere, but he said that he felt it was good to meet with so many community members at the same time.
"It was a very enjoyable and important conversation we had. I appreciate the Chamber hosting and really bringing together a good cross-section of different views, both from the business community and the not-for-profit sector and the municipal government level who, like myself, share the same desire to see the federal government take leadership roles and putting forward policies that are going to enable success economically and socially of our community to make sure that it continues to thrive. And frankly, it gives me a chance to hear the concerns and challenges facing our community in a number of different aspects and, more importantly, the solutions. Often, those who are facing challenges are the best suited to provide the solution. So, it's a good opportunity. And as I said to folks there for those that hadn't met, it's the first step in a conversation. And I know there'll be more, and it's really good to meet a few more people and get a sense of what's going on on the ground in Portage."
Leslie added that those who were unable to attend are always welcome to contact his office or to speak with him in person.
