ROCKGLEN - In a non-election year in Canada, and the bitter cold of the middle of January, why would federal MP Jeremy Patzer choose to visit ‘small-town’ Saskatchewan? Good question, right?
Jeremy Patzer is a young Canadian politician and federal Member of Parliament who was elected in 2019 to represent the riding of Cypress Hills-Grasslands in Canada’s House of Commons.
He’s in his mid-30s, and a member of the non-governing Conservative Party of Canada. Jeremy, the youngest of three children, grew up on a grain farm near Frontier, Sask. He now lives in Swift Current with his wife Kyla and their three young children.
He commutes back and forth to Parliament in Ottawa representing Cypress Hills-Grasslands.
If you’re wondering why Mr. Patzer would show up on a cold winter’s night in the middle of January, in Rockglen, you’re not the only one. An on-line poster advertised that Patzer would be hosting a meeting at the New Horizon Drop-In Centre in Rockglen on January 18.
As advertised, the purpose of the meeting was to be a discussion of concerns and questions held by residents of Patzer’s federal constituency. The ‘town-hall’ style meeting lasted just two hours, and was attended by a dozen or so concerned citizens.
Without doubt, the cold, miserable weather on Tuesday night played a major role in the evening’s poor attendance.
The first hour of the evening consisted of numerous simultaneous on-going discussions and private conversations by the most vocal members of those in attendance. The main topic of discussion during that first hour was a somewhat passionate, yet mostly courteous debate on the facts and fallacies of COVID-19 and its effects on the world today. In the end, there was no real consensus of opinion concerning COVID, only a friendly resolve and agreement to mutually disagree.
For all intents and purposes, Patzer appeared to remain courteous and mostly quiet during this discussion, preferring rather to listen and learn. The final hour of the evening was considerably more focused in its purpose, direction and discussion.
Patzer continued to listen and remained courteous to everyone’s concerns, but was much more engaged and vocal. He tried to offer some small measure of hope in these trying times of the COVID pandemic we find ourselves trapped in.
He reminded everyone that he was not elected to Parliament to represent aristocracy and the privileged of this nation or this constituency. Patzer stressed that he was a member of the House of Commons, not the aristocratic Senate, elected to represent the common folk of this constituency. It was a message that was well received.
