Lac St. Louis MP holds informal chat with citizens
By Kevin Woodhouse
www.thesuburban.com
When he is not working in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Lac St. Louis MP Francis Scarpaleggia likes to make sure that all constituents in his riding, roughly 42,000 doors, can be heard if need be.
And while e-mail and telephone calls are very helpful, Scarpaleggia has been taking part in informal discussions with citizens for the last several years. His next public meeting, part of the “Let’s Talk” series, will be for residents of the northern sector of Ste. Anne de Bellevue this Saturday morning.
“It is not a Town Hall concept but every few months, we invite a certain portion of the riding to take part in informal discussions that offer dynamic exchanges that can spark ideas,” Scarpaleggia told The Suburban.
The Lac St. Louis MP explained that some of the concerns or discourses raised through the informal meetings can find their way into Question Period at the federal level later on.
“Because the meetings are in real time, we have the benefit of exchanging ideas in real time,” Scarpaleggia said.
The meetings generally start with an overview of some of the main issues dominating federal politics. For example, at Scarpaleggia’s last “Let’s Talk” event held in Beaconsfield just prior to the provincial election, “topics of interest from citizens ranged from The Clarity Act to national unity. Upcoming issues will likely include senate reform, the Fair Elections Act and the dossier of temporary foreign workers.”
“What I like about the events is that it gives us time to trying talk about concerns citizens have because in two hours, we can cover a lot of material,” said Scarpaleggia who estimated that each meeting brings between 15 and 20 concerned residents.
Francis Scarpaleggia’s next “Let’s Talk” event takes place Saturday, May 10 at École prima ire Bout de l’Île in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, located at 190 Vallée in the northern sector. For more information, call Scarpaleggia’s riding office at [514] 695-6661.
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