Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong has been named the best representative of his riding constituents by his fellow MPs.
Chong was honoured in a recent Macleans magazine “Parliamentarians of the Year” poll as the best for taking care of the concerns of his riding. Macleans surveys all 308 MPs for the awards each year.
Chong said in an interview on Nov. 25 that in the four years of the poll, he cannot remember being named for such an honour.
“The nice thing about this award is recognition from your colleagues in the House” he said.
When asked how MPs unfamiliar with his Wellington-Halton Hills riding could see the work he does there, Chong said MPs “work closely together” all the time and “they know what’s going on.”
Chong was quoted in the magazine article as being non partisan when it comes to working for constituents.
He told Macleans, “The least we can do for people who have disagreements with the government is to relay those concerns to Ottawa. They want to know that, at the very least, they’re being listened to.”
Chong grew up in Wellington County and easily won re-election on May 2, taking about 64% of the votes cast in the riding, for his fourth straight electoral win.
The magazine noted few of his opponents bothered putting up signs, or showing up for all-candidates’ meetings.
Chong said there are lots of MPs who are just like him.
“There are plenty of people who work hard for their constituents and are deserving of the award,” he said.
He said the formula for constituency work is a simple one. “We try to get back to every single person who contacts us. We’ve always worked hard and done our best.”
Chong said he believes elections are partisan competitions, with each side giving its message to the electorate. But, he said, even though he remains partisan after the election, he now represents all the constituents, not just those who supported him.
“You still represent all the people.” He again thanked all those that supported him in the election.
“I couldn’t do my job without the support of the people in Wellington-Halton Hills,” he said. He concluded “I’m very grateful for their support. It’s what keeps us working so hard each and every day in Ottawa.”
There were several categories in the Parliamentarians of the Year survey. The other winners are:
– lifetime achievement, Jack Layton;
– Parliamentarians of the Year, Bob Rae;
– hardest working, Jason Kenney;
– best orator, John Baird;
– most collegial, Peter Stoffer;
– most knowledgeable, Joe Comartin; and
– best rookie, Chris Alexander.
