Perth-Wellington MPP-elect Matthew Rae has already kept at least one campaign promise. He was ready to work on day one.
Less than a day after he won his seat in the Ontario legislature by a landslide, Perth-Wellington’s new MPP-elect Matthew Rae has already kept a campaign promise.
He was ready to go to work on day one.
After winning his new seat with nearly 47 per cent of the more than 41,500 votes cast in the riding, Rae was up bright and early Friday morning to attend his first official event, return phone calls and prepare his new constituency office in Stratford, the same one he worked in when employed by his predecessor, Randy Pettapiece.
“It’s a great honor to be elected to higher office, and I really appreciate the support and trust (of) the voters in Perth-Wellington … and I look forward to continuing to earn that trust going forward,” Rae said Friday afternoon. “I actually attended my first event earlier today. I went up to Listowel for the Stratford-Perth Pride flag-raising ceremony up there. … I’m attending some events this weekend as well, and I was just talking with some of my potential staff in my constituency office.
“We’re just figuring some of that stuff out and getting everything set up to have the office up and operating shortly.”
Rae, who previously worked with both Pettapiece and Perth-Wellington MP John Nater, made his significant experience navigating the halls of power in Toronto and Ottawa a key component of his election campaign, telling voters he would be ready to work on day one.
Now that the day has come, he says there are a number of priorities and projects he’s eager to begin working on, especially as a member of a party that won a historic, second-straight majority government with 83 seats and nearly 41 per cent of the vote across the province.
“I know how Queen’s Park works and advocating for Perth-Wellington will obviously be top priority to ensure we get the investments we need locally. … Affordability is a big issue … and I’ve sat on, for the past couple of years, the Perth County committee for attainable and affordable housing. So affordable housing, for me, is a special project, you could say, and I will be focusing on that.
“But also, obviously, rural broadband — we still need local coverage in Perth-Wellington, so I’ll be focusing on getting those investments locally. Rural health care and rural education, obviously, are important and moving forward (I will ensure) funding continues to flow for important projects.”
Rae is also keenly aware of the impacts the local labor shortage has on area employers, so he looks forward to working with skilled-trades organizations, small businesses, job-training organizations and others to address that issue.
As he promised during his campaign, Rae said he will continue to be accessible and available to meet with and discuss important issues with Perth-Wellington residents. He says residents can still call or text his campaign cellphone at 519-604-8078 or call the phone number for his Stratford constituency office — 519-272-0660 — with any questions, concerns or comments, and he will strive to return those calls as soon as possible.
Rae does not yet have an active email address for his constituency office but, once he does, he’ll make sure residents can reach him that way too.