Richard Cannings, the new NDP MP for South Okanagan-West Kootenay is joined on stage by his daughter Julia Cannings (left) and his wife Margaret Holm. (Richard McGuire photo)
Richard Cannings hasn’t had much time to rest since being elected last week as the new Member of Parliament for South Okanagan-West Kootenay (SOWK).
Like other newly elected MPs, he faces the challenges of hiring staff, setting up offices in the constituency and on Parliament Hill, renting an apartment in the capital and a myriad of other tasks, both big and small.
And that’s before he’s even sworn in as an MP, assigned a critic role or appointed to any committees.
The Oct. 19 general election saw more than 200 rookie MPs, like Cannings, elected to the expanded 338-seat House of Commons as voters swept aside the majority government of Conservative Stephen Harper to replace it with a Liberal majority led by Justin Trudeau.
Cannings was one of 44 NDP MPs elected.
The new MP said he plans to open constituency offices in Penticton and Castlegar, reflecting the large size of the newly formed SOWK riding.
He’ll also have an office in one of the buildings in the Parliamentary Precinct used for MP offices, though as a rookie MP from the third-place party, Cannings knows he won’t be getting the pick of offices.
“I’m probably at the bottom of the pecking order for that,” he said.
It has been hectic since election night, he said.
“I’m learning all sorts of things,” Cannings said, noting that he has had conversations with House of Commons officials, although he hasn’t had a chance to delve into all the details.
He’s received information about his office budget and staffing along with the advice not to promise anyone jobs right away.
Cannings receives an annual budget of $325,080 to run his offices, but many expenses such as plane tickets and mailings are paid by the House of Commons, but don’t come from that budget.
Because the election came midway through the 2015-16 fiscal year, his budget is pro-rated for the remainder of the year.
“For the past couple of days I’ve mainly been fielding phone calls from people offering congratulations and touching base with various other people,” he said in an interview last Thursday.
The following day, the new NDP caucus held a conference call in part to bring new MPs up to speed.
Cannings isn’t sure when he’ll first go to Ottawa, but he’s been told he needs to go for an orientation on November 3.
The following day, Trudeau and his cabinet will be sworn in, but the House isn’t expected to sit until possibly sometime in December.
The rookie MP said he would still keep his main residence in Penticton and will likely rent a small apartment in Ottawa.
“I know some MPs choose to stay in hotels when they’re there,” he said. “I’m not really a hotel kind of person. I’d rather have a small apartment of my own as a real base.”
He plans to return to the riding every weekend as well as on break weeks, which usually fall monthly when the House is sitting.
As for staffing, Cannings said he would likely follow his predecessor Alex Atamanenko’s lead and keep his Ottawa staff at a minimum in order to provide sufficient staffing in the constituency.
Cannings said he’s already had a couple phone conversations since the election with retired MP Atamanenko.
“I talked to him at length yesterday evening,” said Cannings. “He was giving me advice on everything from options on staffing to where the good apartments are in Ottawa.”
Cannings credits Atamanenko with mentoring him for more than a year, including allowing Cannings to job shadow him.
“I’ve been so impressed with his style, of really concentrating on the riding and making sure he met with people all over the riding,” said Cannings. “He really put his efforts into helping constituents.
“I really want to emphasize that in my work, but I’m also very interested in a lot of policy issues in Ottawa at the national level, especially around the environment. I’m going into this with an open mind and open heart and seeing where it takes me. I know it will be interesting and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
By Richard McGuire
