More people need to be active in advocacy, says Motz

Posted on January 25, 2024 by admin

By Anna Smith
Southern Alberta Newspapers

During a recent Town Hall event alongside Foremost, Forty Mile, and provincial representation, Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz advocated strongly for his constituents to make their voice heard both at and away from the voting booth.

Motz remarked that nearly every day, he receives correspondence from those he represents, asking what he and his fellow conservatives are doing in Ottawa, and what can be done about the current government and the state of federal politics.

“I kind of send it back,” said Motz during the Jan. 18 event in Foremost. “So what are you doing? Do you voice your opinions to the government? Do you tell them what you’re unhappy with? One thing about government is everybody who’s in government is listed on the internet. With all their contact information.”

He remarked that beyond waiting for an election, Canadians needs to be in contact with not only their representatives, but others involved in the government that’s been elected to represent them, to voice their concerns and to put forward possible solutions, and to be mindful of ‘political weariness,’ as a town hall attendee referred to it.

“We’re all guilty as Canadians. We are polite. We sit back and we don’t want to get involved. Sometimes that’s good, but it’s horrible other times,” said Motz. “I understand the frustration, we hear it a lot. Like so they start with those who are allies. You know, so maybe you don’t have to be aligned with my political thinking. It’s okay, you don’t, but if you are and you want to change, attacking me is not productive.”

If nothing else, said Motz, getting involved makes a person aware of the issues that surround them, so that they can make better choices when the next election does come around, though Motz suspects that will be some time down the road.

It’s been increasingly difficult to find people to do simple things such as go door-to-door with him in order to encourage voting, said Motz, and the overall voter turnout has gone down in recent elections, and while he can understand frustration, he warns that complacency is precisely what the other parties want, as they can get their own supporters out to vote.

“I don’t care how you vote — I mean, I care how you vote — but you have a fundamental right to vote how you want in this country, which I respect, and it doesn’t have to be for me,” said Motz. He encourages people to not only exercise that right, regardless of how they may choose to vote, but also to remain active and aware of the current state of both federal and provincial politics, and make their voice heard.