Fletcher eager to serve again

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This article was published 21/03/2016 (3696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steven Fletcher knows that when one door closes, another one opens.

Having finished an 11-year term as Member of Parliament for Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia-Headingley, Fletcher intends to stay close to home as he campaigns as the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba’s candidate in Assiniboia.

“This has turned out to be an opportunity,” Fletcher said. “People often express that I did a very good job as their MP and I exceeded any and all my expectations and would like to bring that skill set on the provincial scene.”

Fletcher said knowing the ins and outs of politics, combined with his work in the Assiniboia area, will give him a boost in the April 19 election.

“I’ve run the gamut of what you can do in Ottawa and I understand the machinery of government and how the process works,” he said. “I would say there’s probably no one else that could bring that to the table and with what I’ve already done for Assiniboia, I think (the campaign) is going very well and that’s thanks to the people of the area.”

Fletcher said that in door-knocking, he has not only heard concerns over the state of the roads but experienced them himself. With experience as the Minister of State for Transport, infrastructure is a focus for Fletcher.

“There’s an occasional pothole I thought I might fall into,” he told The Metro. “The constituents are really upset about the roads and the sidewalks and having door-knocked, I have to agree they’re not in good shape.”

Fletcher also expressed concern over the hospital wait times in Assiniboia, an issue that several PC candidates in West Winnipeg have addressed.

“The wait times at the hospitals, particularly Grace, are the worst in the country,” Fletcher said. “Not in Manitoba, the country. And that is not acceptable; we have to get a handle on that right away.”

He went on to say that working to make the front line and management more efficient, as well as the implementation of technology, may help to solve the problem.

“We could enhance the front line services and be more cost conscious,” the candidate said. “One of the obvious ways is through technology. Manitoba is behind other provinces. I still have a cardboard health card — it’s the 21st century!”

Manitobans head to the polls on April 19.