Niki Ashton has spent more than a decade representing northern Manitoba in the House of Commons and has put those years of experience to use during a global pandemic.
The NDP MP said she had expanded her online communications, hosting regular video chats with constituents.
“I've always felt it was very important to be accessible, to be in touch and to fight hard for our region,” she said.
“That hasn't changed through this crisis. If anything, it’s just become more important.”
Ashton was fresh off her first virtual Parliament session and said she’s seen an uptick in people reaching out to her for help.
“This is one of the most vulnerable regions in the country,” she said.
“We know that our communities do not have the capacity to deal with a minimal spread, never mind a surge. The reason why we've been able to curb the spread of COVID-19 so far is because of the incredible steps being taken by many communities, including First Nations who have implemented lockdowns.”
One of the ways Ashton has reached out to her constituents during the lockdown is by hosting Facebook live streams once or twice a week. Ashton pointed to crowded housing and work camps as some of the reasons an outbreak in northern Manitoba could lead to devastating results.
“We cannot pretend like the north is like southern Manitoba or like any other part of the country,” she said.
“We need to go above and beyond to keep our region safe.”
Ashton wants the federal government to step up support to keep northern Canada safe in the future, not just in the present.
“We've seen so little from the federal government to make sure that communities are protected and supported in the face of possible second or future waves of COVID-19,” she said.
“I have been doing everything possible to give voice to the urgent situation we face here.”
In Ottawa, Ashton serves as the NDP’s transportation critic. Like many other MPs, her role has become focused on COVID-19. She said it's important to give consumers and workers support during the crisis, not big companies.
“We know that consumers have been gouged throughout this crisis,” she said.
“We’re seeing other countries around the world ensure that any bailouts involve partial government ownership and stakes in airlines. We need to be seeing the same kind of accountability here. We cannot be rolling out to big public money to make the wealthiest Canadians even wealthier.”
Ashton said she’s focused on supporting the essential workers in trucking.
“It's not enough to just thank people for the work that they're doing in essential services. We need to make sure that they are supported, that they are protected, that we're not sending people to do work that is potentially unsafe and that we're holding employers to account at this time,” she said.
