'CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED': Rookie MPs prepare for new life

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OTTAWA — She described it as a “before and after” moment.

Tamara Kronis, who woke up the morning after election night as one of Canada’s new members of Parliament, said she soon felt the weight of her new job after the glow of her victory the previous evening.

“People who run for office do so because they want to serve their community,” the newly-minted Tory Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP told the Toronto Sun. 

“You wake up the morning after an election, and all of the sudden you have a whole bunch of new tools and a bunch of new ways to do that.”

Kronis, a lawyer and goldsmith, was one of 112 rookie MPs elected to office on April 28 — newcomers to the intricate, contentious and often unforgiving world of Canadian politics.

For York Centre MP Roman Baber, the adjustment to life on Parliament Hill will no doubt be easier than many of his fellow rookies — thanks to his four years at Queen’s Park as an MPP.

“I’m looking forward to being able to make a material difference, which is really why I think folks get into politics,” he said.

“I really hope to bring my private sector experience, and my prior Queen’s Park experience, to help my colleagues, help Pierre Poilievre, and try to do the best they can to restore the Canadian promise that I’ve been blessed to live.”

Preparations for their new life began last week, when MPs from all parties arrived in Ottawa to begin orientation and meet the rest of their caucuses.

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Roughly a third of MPs elected last month are rookies like Kronis and Baber, who all spent the week participating in a crash course on being a parliamentarian, a service facilitated by the House of Commons.

Topics covered include how to establish their offices both in Ottawa and in their riding, House and government procedure, and how to help make the adjustment to public life go as smoothly as possible.

One thing that struck Kronis in her first few weeks was the distance — and not just the kilometres between Ottawa and her home on Vancouver Island.

“One of things I heard a lot at the doors in my riding is how far people feel they are from government right now,” she said.

“We’re on Vancouver Island, which is one of the farthest places in the country physically from Ottawa, but it’s not just the physical distance for us — there’s a real sense out here that our money goes east and it doesn’t come back.”

She aims to make sure everyone in her riding feels more connected to government, and know they have a voice in the House of Commons.

With the start of the spring sitting just a few weeks away, Baber — the only Conservative MP elected in the 416 — said he’s ready to serve his riding.

“I am determined to help my colleagues hold the Mark Carney government accountable,” he said.

“There’s a bit of uncertainty ahead, living away (from home) amounts to some challenges, but we know this is very rewarding work, and I can’t wait to get started.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com

X: @bryanpassifiume