There could be a holiday in the fall where everyone celebrates local food, if MP Wayne Stetski’s private members bill is approved.
As Stetski sets up his summer schedule, he also plans on attending farmer’s markets in the area to gather support and educate constituents on the importance of producing and purchasing local foods.
“I have introduced the bill in parliament to create the last Friday before Thanksgiving as local food day, which will be celebrated across Canada,” Stetski said. “When you’re not in cabinet, if you’re lucky, you get one opportunity to get a bill through parliament as a private member’s bill.”
In order for the bill to be approved, Stetski must have a majority in house to vote in favour of the bill.
“Most private member’s bills are turned down, but I’m hoping mine won’t be,” he said.
Stetski will work on a campaign all summer to gather support for the bill, and has developed some products related to local agriculture that will be sent to every member of parliament and senator in Canada.
“We will be back at the farmers markets this summer, and we will be handing out some of this material,” he said. “We were here last year in Golden.”
As Stetski sets up his summer schedule, he has identified that there are around 50 communities and areas in his Kootenay-Revelstoke riding.
“We try and make sure that I have a presence in those communities, so we just did our summer planning,” he said. “It’s fairly busy.”
There are 64 square kilometres in this riding, and the 2016 census says there are 112,354 constituents in the Kootenay-Revelstoke riding.
“There’s always lots to do, for sure,” he said.
Stetski was in Golden last week at his pop up office in the Golden Civic Centre to speak with constituents about their issues and concerns. In addition to educating about the private member’s bill, he discussed Canadian immigration, horsepower restriction on the Columbia River, interests in summer jobs, and much more with the people who visited him that day.
