Chris Malette is getting a crash course in what it takes to be a Member of Parliament.
He won the Bay of Quinte riding for the Liberal Party in the April 28 federal election and is among more than 100 new MPs currently in training in Ottawa.
He is also in the process of hiring staff and getting the constituency office up and running.
Bay of Quinte MP-elect Chris Malette.
While he has served municipally as a Belleville city councillor, Malette says there is a steep learning curve.
But he says his first responsibility will always be to his local constituency.
“I’ve got issues that people have told me that this is what they want addressed including affordability, affordable housing. We have infrastructure issues in the county. Of course Highway 49. And also in this riding we’ve got CFB Trenton.”
Malette says the support structure in Ottawa to help him serve Bay of Quinte is phenomenal.
And while he hasn’t received any details yet, he adds he’s been told that there are some priorities that will be addressed in the Bay of Quinte.
Malette says he certainly was watching closely this week when Prime Minister Mark Carney met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
“I think it was simply setting a good, a good groundwork for a working relationship because as we know, dealing with Mr. Trump is certainly anything but predictable. But, you know as we said earlier, we’re quite confident that Mark Carney is the guy to be able to navigate those troubled waters.”
Carney is expected to recall Parliament on May 26 and has announced that King Charles will deliver the speech from the throne the next day.
