Marty Morantz is the new MP for the Charleswood-St James-Assiniboia-Headingley riding, and is also the only Jewish MP in the Conservative Party.
Morantz told the Winnipeg Jewish Review that "I am absolutely humbled and honoured to be elected to the house of commons. The opportunity to serve my constituents and fellow Canadians at the national level is something I will never take for granted."
When asked about his campaign Morantz says, "It was a great campaign. We had a large group of very dedicated volunteers who came door knocking with me everyday. We were knocking on doors for almost a year and actually knocked on almost 40,000 homes. Listening to the stories and concerns of residents is always important to me."
Morantz adds that he thinks he won the riding because " I think our Party’s campaign platform really resonated with people in the riding. Our campaign slogan was “It’s time for you to get ahead”. It recognized that there is a growing affordability gap and that people are struggling each month to just get by. Our platform policies were designed to help people by reducing the tax burden on average hard working Canadians. Also there was a definite anti -Trudeau sentiment in the riding. Many people who had voted Liberal in 2015 were regretful of that decision given the many scandals such as SNC Lavalin that the Prime Minister found himself mired in."
Morantz brings a wealth of experience to his new position as a MP. As he points out, "From an educational perspective certainly my legal education as well as practising law for many years helps a great deal. Also my time on Winnipeg City Council as Chair of Finance and Infrastructure was invaluable experience. My experience as a parent of a child with Autism has highlighted for me the importance of having a national autism strategy."
The Winnipeg Jewish Review asked Morantz what he would like to accomplish as an MP, and what goals he has set for himself. Morantz answers, "As a member of the official opposition my role along with my colleagues will be to hold the government to account. That is the primary function of the opposition in a Parliamentary democracy. As a fiscal conservative my goals are to insist the government be fiscally responsible and move towards a balanced national budget. The Liberals promised to balance the budget by 2019 and have completely ignored that promise. Continued deficits and commensurate interest expenses erode the ability of the federal government to sustain important services and lead to even higher taxes."
Morantz adds, "As I mentioned earlier many families have been affected by autism and it is time for a national autism strategy which I will be advocating for. Also it is very important that as Parliamentarians we stand up for our ally Israel on the international stage."
When asked what people in his riding care about most, Morantz replies, "The issues that are important to the people in my riding are the same issues that are important to all Canadians. We need to be creating jobs by promoting Canada’s economy through international trade agreements. Also we need to be promoting small business.We also need to be breaking down inter Provincial trade barriers in Canada. It shouldn’t be easier for Manitoba businesses to trade with Minnesota than British Columbia. We need an inter provincial free trade agreement."