https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/local-news/sudbury-mp-to-run-again-says-theres-work-to-do

Sudbury MP to run again; says there's work to do

Jim Moodie The Sudbury Star
More from Jim Moodie The Sudbury Star

Published on: November 29, 2018 | Last Updated: November 29, 2018 2:57 AM EST

MP Paul Lefebvre addresses a crowd of local Liberals after being acclaimed as the Sudbury candidate for the 2019 federal election. Photo supplied

Paul Lefebvre has more goals he wants to accomplish, including progress on the Ring of Fire.

The Sudbury MP, elected for the first time in 2015, was recently acclaimed to run again for the Liberals in 2019.

Since September, Lefebvre has also been acting as parliamentary secretary to Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi, who has now tapped him to handle a file of major significance for both Sudbury and the region.

“The minister last week asked me to take the lead role from the Department of Natural Resources on the Ring of Fire,” the MP said Wednesday. “I’m very excited about that challenge because the Ring of Fire stands to help the economy in Northern Ontario and benefit so many individuals.”

While Ottawa has yet to match the $1 billion committed by the former Liberal government in Ontario for Ring of Fire infrastructure, Lefebvre said there is still an opportunity for a federal contribution.

“The federal government has always said we’re willing to entertain and certainly discuss with the province, and the Indigenous communities, how to move forward with the Ring of Fire,” he said. “At the bureaucratic level there is a lot of work being done already, but certainly I think our next step is how to move forward in the right way.”

Lefebvre said he is proud of the funding that has flowed to the riding during his term, pointing to new jobs at the taxation centre, for instance, and $26.7 million that Justin Trudeau himself announced in Sudbury for the Maley Drive project.

“In the past few years we’ve had an historic amount of investment in Sudbury, with respect to infrastructure and jobs within government services and the CRA, as well as Service Canada,” he said. “So we’ve accomplished a lot; however, we need to build on that.”

Lefebvre said one of his priorities is to address a shortage of skilled labour in the city.

“One of the things I’m hearing is the difficulty businesses are having in finding workers,” he said. “How do we work with the colleges and universities to make sure we have more training and work-placement opportunities for students, as well as possibly have more immigrants who have trades help come to fill that void? I think that’s something the federal government can play a role in, to assist and make sure those jobs are being filled.”

The MP said $8 million has already been spent locally for housing, but more needs to be done to make sure people in Sudbury of limited means and fixed incomes have suitable accommodation.

“There’s a great need for affordable housing, senior affordable housing and geared-to-income housing,” he said. “We have a National Housing Strategy and the funding is there, but now I’m working closely with the community and community partners to advance their projects.”

Lefebvre said being re-elected next year would give him the chance to see those types of plans through to fruition.

“This would not end in 2019, but would go into another term,” he said. “So for me, I want to continue to work with those community partners to make sure we get the federal funding that is available to flow back to Sudbury.”

The rookie politician said his pledge from the beginning was to be “Sudbury’s voice in Ottawa, to try to bring back what we deserve,” and he hopes to continue to fulfill that role.

Lefebvre won the Sudbury riding back for the Liberals three years ago with 47.41 per cent of the vote — nearly 20 per cent more than his nearest rival, Paul Loewenberg of the NDP.

He said he’s learned a lot in his first stint as an MP but hasn’t felt out of his element.

“What I really enjoy about the role is being able to advocate for people and see positive results,” he said. “So that’s helping out with passport or EI issues, the casework for people who need it on the ground, as well as helping institutions like Laurentian or Boreal, or advocating for more jobs that are decentralized from Ottawa or Toronto to regional areas like Sudbury.”

Lefebvre said he has been able to draw on his experience as a community activist and lawyer when it comes to navigating bureaucratic channels and getting results.

“Now I can practise those skills to improve our community and make sure the voices in Sudbury are heard,” he said. “So that is rewarding to me on a daily basis.”