Morantz hopes to regain seat for Conservatives

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This article was published 30/09/2019 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Conservative Party candidate Marty Morantz estimates he has knocked on more than 25,000 doors so far in his bid for election in Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley.

“I’m on my second pair of shoes,” he joked. “We’re trying to meet as many people as we can.”

Morantz, 57, grew up in River Heights, graduating from Grant Park Collegiate and earning a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Manitoba. He attended Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, but after receiving his law degree, he returned to Winnipeg where he worked for a downtown law firm, eventually becoming a partner.

Morantz was elected as city councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge in 2014. During his time at City Hall, he was an executive policy committee member, and chaired the finance and infrastructure committees each for two years.

Morantz said his thoughts turned to federal politics, and after discussions with family and friends, he decided to pursue the Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley nomination. After receiving the local party members’ endorsement in October 2018, Morantz wasted no time in starting his campaign.

“I started to door-knock in November 2018.”

He said his reception has been generally positive with riding residents most concerned about financial matters.

“They are the same issues facing all Canadians — addressing the affordability gap as people’s discretionary income erodes. We need to make life more affordable.”

He said the federal PC party would help with this by replacing the current carbon tax, offering a universal federal tax cut, making parental employment income payments tax-free, reinstating tax credits for children’s recreational and social programs, taking the GST off home heating, and increasing the maximum federal grant for registered education savings plans from $500 to $700 annually.

“We are focussed on the theme of affordability.”

He added that PC Party leader Andrew Scheer has announced a higher level of federal transfer payments for health care to provinces and territories, committing to a minimum of a three per cent increase each year.

Morantz said he’s in favour of keeping Canada’s doors open to immigrants. “I’m very much in favour of immigration,” he said, adding that his grandparents immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s.

Morantz welcomes constituents to stop in at his campaign office at 3244 Portage Ave.