The last article, the former NDP deputy, Peter Julian, will pack when he leaves his parliamentary office in the center of Ottawa, is a single work boot with steel tip.
For more than 20 years, the boot has been sitting in Julian’s office, a strong reminder of his focus on advocating “the needs of regular workers,” he said.
The boot was the first thing Julian unpacked when he moved to the office two decades ago. Soon, British Columbia will be packaged and flown throughout the country and will meet with his pair, which has been in the Julian Circumscription Office.
“There is a symbolism in which it is the first but also the last,” said Julian. “They help to stay based on what is important.”
Julian is one of the least 40 starting parliamentarians who lost his seat in the House of the Commons the last election. In interviews with CBC’s The houseSome described the moment as more than losing a job. It is the end of a chapter of his life that have spent years, even decades, writing.
Julian lost his driving New Westminster-Burnaby-Mailrdville against Liberal Jake Sawatzky, one of the younger incoming parliamentarians. When asked how he feels, Julian said he’s “well.”
“This is democracy,” Catherine Cullen told the presenter. “In all elections, you anticipate the worst and work for the best.”
Others are fighting. In the hallway outside his parliamentary office in Ottawa on Thursday morning, the former deputy of Bloc Québécois, Julie Vignola, cried thinking about the people in her assembly in Quebec in Beauport-Limoilou that “left behind.”
“The difficult things are not here,” Vignola said as he waited for the staff of the Commons Chamber to be and reviewed that his office was properly unoccupied. “The difficult thing is in driving.”
More than 1,200 people went to Vignola and his office in search of help to emigrate to Canada. She said they signed documents giving her permission to help with her cases.
But those documents were signed with Vignola and his team, not with driving. Because he lost the recent federal elections, Vignola said the archives have been “destroyed.”
“I am his last resort. I am the last resort,” Vignola said, his hesitant voice. “And now they have to do it again with another person. I hope they take their situation[s] As seriously as me. “
Two floors above Vignola, former conservative deputy of Nueva Scotia, Rick Perkins, was packing his own office. The most striking feature was a lobster trap that Perkins said he replaced a typical coffee table.
“All these dignitaries in Ottawa, everyone wants them to take a picture in front of the lobster trap,” Perkins said. “Not by the Canadian flag, but for the lobster trap.”
The last two weeks have been “hard,” Perkins said. “You have good morning when you have constant calls. The phone never stops sounding, well, it will stop soon, but it has been playing and is a sincere driving.”
The outgoing parliamentarian of Nueva Scotia said that there is camaraderie between him and other regular conservatives who also lost their careers. Perkins also said that there is some comfort to know that he lost by thousands of votes.
“If I had lost by 12 votes, I would have really been angry because I could have called one or two more doors and maybe I had changed that.” Perkins said.
Favorite moments in the office
The former Liberal Deputy of Ontario, Marc Serré, says he remembers with love the new Canadians who saw in citizenship ceremonies, in particular a family of Syrian refugees who settled in Sudbury.
Serré said he greeted the family at the airport when they landed in January 2015.
“They started their own restaurant, and the community supported them. And that cozy aspect of [the community] It was simply incredible. And as a member of Parliament, he will never forget that, “said Serré.
Serré said the campaign was “very challenging”, but has hope for the future with the liberals that are still in power. He lost his driving in the East-Manitoulin-Nickel Sudbury belt to the conservative challenger Jim Belanger.
“There is a lot of anxiety within the staff, obviously in the future,” said Serré. “At this time, I will change the page and start a new chapter.”
The highlight of Vignola is to help someone secure their citizenship after years of delays because the federal government had lost its archive. “We succeed [in resolving] His case in a month, which is a miracle if you know what our immigration is like, “he said with a smile.
The man’s folder fell between two filingers, Vignola said. He also referred to another who waited for his wife to join him in Canada for three years before he finally arrived.
“They came to my office to thank the team and me. That was magical,” Vignola said.
Partisanship and cooperation
When asked what will miss more in Parliament Hill, Perkins said: “The people, my colleagues and I have made some good friends” as the former NDP parliamentarian of Ontario Brian Masse.
The two worked together in the Chamber Industry Committee. Masse, which served in Parliament for more than 20 years until he lost his career in Windsor West, is a “really good guy” and “a fantastic deputy” according to Perkins.
Perkins said Masse offered to support him during the campaign. There was no candidate for the NDP in the driving of Perkins by South Shore-ST. Margarets.
“I get a little excited when I talk about that because that is the type of relationship you can develop if you really believe in what you are doing and treat other parliamentarians with respect,” Perkins said.
In a statement, Masse referred to “the joint efforts of the parliamentarians of all political history, and the many times that we find common land for the improvement of Canada. Those comments remain in the public registry.”
Perkins also highlighted Bill Blair’s work when forest fires crossed through the county of Suburban Halifax and Shelburne In 2023. Blair was the Minister of Emergency Preparation at that time and obtained the resources that the Perkins community needed to fight fires and save houses.
“The lines are blurred between the parties when you try to fight for your community,” Perkins said.
Julian said that he enjoys the partisan side of politics “when it is an honest debate of ideas,” but regretted that Canada could become much more if more parliamentary recognized their first loyalty is for Canadians and the construction of a better country.
“We could approve invoices every week with an adequate exam. I do not disagree with the proper examination of [legislation]But the problem is that we are allowing partisanship to block so many things that could benefit so many Canadians. “
Serré experienced the dark side of political divisions when it was Physically assaulted in your campaign office During the federal elections of 2021. He told him The house There were also protests at home, which affected his family.
Despite those experiences, Serré said he is proud of the work he has done.
“I would do it again … I would try to find a way to deal with my personal life in a slightly different way,” said Serré. “But from an MP perspective, you have to get your neck and there are consequences on that.”
What comes next?
Serré said he is taking a break, but that he still wants to try to find different ways to build the north of Ontario, especially the northeast.
“I’m still going to make a difference for my community, but today I will do it in a different way. I think being a deputy: that chapter is closed,” said Serré. “Maybe my opponents will be happy to listen to that.”
When asked what will do next, Perkins said it was a “multimillionaire question.” He is not sure if he will run again, but in the meantime he wants to make sure his staff finds a job.
“I will be out of this office at the end of next week,” Perkins said. “And then I will start, once I have gone through that, probably making my attention to what I do next.”
Vignola is not sure what comes next. But she said she will show again in September.
“This is the end of a chapter, and we will see what I write in the next,” Vignola said.
Julian said he wants to remain committed to his community, and plans to call the doors in driving once he completes the movement, which is occupying a lot of space in his mind.
“I’ve been unemployed for the first time since I was 12 years old,” Julian said with a smile. “But the whirlwind who comes with having to close all the offices and close the apartment [in Ottawa] It does not allow reflection. “
That personal reflection will come after May 20: Julian’s deadline to vacate his office.
“I will try to make a difference in a different way,” said Julian. “It is a great honor and privilege to make a difference in people’s lives.”
