Marc Serré is backing Mark Carney in leadership race
Suzanne Gammon
Tribune
It’s been a tumultuous time for the Liberal Party of Canada, which has plummeted in the polls, faced internal divisions, and been repeatedly threatened with non-confidence motions, all while navigating complicated times with a minority government. The situation came to a head when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation and prorogued Parliament on January 6th, sparking a leadership race that will conclude only on March 9th. To complicate matters, Canada has been facing turmoil and uncertainty as the new Donald Trump administration in the US threatens punishing tariffs and even Canada’s sovereignty, forcing the still sitting Prime Minister and his cabinet, along with provincial Premiers, to plan a response and lobby American leaders to change Trump’s course.
Through it all, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré has stayed focused on the things he can actually control, namely service to his local riding, promoting the ‘team Canada’ approach and championing the candidate he hopes will bring his party “back to the centre”, Mark Carney.
“I’ve been doing this nearly ten years now, and what’s difficult is separating the noise of what’s happening in Ottawa versus what (…) local people care about,” Serré notes. “I’m a Northern guy, I’m not preoccupied with the power structure in Ottawa,” he says, preferring to focus on the riding’s needs. He says housing and affordability are at the top of the list, and he “will continue to work with the mayors (…) and making [funding] announcements” in Nickel Belt.
Serré says he even considered giving up his Parliamentary Assistant roles to give more time to his riding, but felt that the portfolios of Natural Resources and Official Languages were important to this area, convincing him to continue that work.
Still, there were times when the noise got very loud indeed. “It was really hard in the Fall when there was so much negativity around the Prime Minister” he admits, but adds that “people I talked to were unhappy with Justin [Trudeau] but they were also unhappy with [Conservative leader Pierre] Poilièvre.”
Despite trying not to get mired in the Liberals’ troubles in Ottawa, Serré has not been spared the effects of widespread discontent. The political climate became particularly harsh during the pandemic response and worsened with resulting inflation, something he understands is frustrating for people. “Since the pandemic, people are mad and they are worried and prices have increased, and it’s frustrating when you go do groceries (…), it doesn’t take much to spend $200 and you get just two bags.” Serré also reasons that the government has been in place for ten years, making it normal for people to want change, “and one thing we failed to do this fall was to present change.” However, he insists that “Poilièvre is not the change that you want.”
Still, frustration is no excuse for abuse, he points out. Serré has faced online trolling, doxing, picketing at his constituency offices, verbal threats and even a physical attack during the last election campaign. The level of vitriol is concerning, and he says all MPs have faced it to varying extents. The MP believes the behaviour is being modeled by some politicians themselves, who resort to personal attacks and even spend millions on negative attack campaigns. He says Trudeau in particular has been the target of such campaigns since 2013. “The partisan toxicity in Parliament these days is unprecedented,” he rues.
Does it make him want to abandon politics? He laughs that, had we asked him in December, he might have hesitated to answer, but he is now more encouraged and resolved as he sees Canada unite against American threats, and as he sees his party follow a new, more centrist path. “I have no regrets about what we did” to help people through the pandemic and bringing in dental care, he notes, as it was needed under the circumstances.
However, he admits that “the party under Justin had really veered left” and even among caucus, people were hungry to get back to the centre. Indeed, Serré thinks there is a void in the middle as even the Conservatives, under Poilièvre, have abandoned the centre in his opinion.
Serré believes Carney is the right choice to get the party back there, pointing out that “he was hired by Stephen Harper and [former Conservative Finance Minister] Jim Flaherty (…) to help develop budgets” in addition to heading the Bank of Canada and then the Bank of England and serving the United Nations among other important institutions. He adds he is heartened by the decision to abandon the carbon tax, which he admits was not well explained and was too burdensome on residential users of heating oil and propane, instead of focusing mainly on large industrial polluters. “We want to invest in social programs and we want to protect the environment but we have to do it in a way that considers the economy as well,” he opines.
Given the new orientation of the party, Serré now feels motivated, admitting that things “felt massively heavy in December” but that he now has “renewed energy.” He adds that, no matter the government in place, he feels he can still bring a lot to Nickel Belt and there is much to do, especially in the face of Trump’s threats.
“We are not a state, we will never be,” he echoes, stating his pride at Canadians’ resolve to stand up to the US administration. At the time of interview, Jan. 31, it was still unknown whether Trump would be imposing his threatened 25% tariffs on Canadian exports to that country, Canada’s biggest trading partner, on Feb. 1st as announced. Canada has since been granted a 30-day reprieve, leaving things up in the air. Serré is convinced Canada can fight back under strong leadership, but he admits the battle will be tough and that tariffs would hurt people on both sides of the border through higher costs on traded goods, supply chain interruptions and hits to businesses and employment.
In Nickel Belt, affected industries would include mining and farming, he warns. “29 of the 31 critical minerals that the US needs come from Canada,” Serré points out, adding that 46% of the US nickel supply comes from Canada. Serré says critical minerals could be used as leverage in an eventual trade war, should it come to that, but that would cause hardship and employment loss in a mining community. He also fears an impact on the farming community. “I’ve spoken to farming families and they are very worried,” he says, not just because of cereal and grain exports but also because “95% of their equipment comes from the US”, including parts. “They’re asking ‘how will we repair or replace our machines?’”
Serré says 25% US tariffs would cost an estimated 500,000 jobs in Ontario alone. “It’s enormous,” he acknowledges, adding that there are more manufacturing jobs in the South but that the North would certainly feel the pain as well.
The MP insists that the government has been acting to try to avoid the tariffs and to come up with a response plan, even while Parliament is prorogued. He is aware of criticism from those who think the politicians are simply enjoying time off while the country is in crisis, and assures that is not the case. “People have to realize that from September to December, there was a Privilege motion for the first time in Canadian history, (…) and nothing could move forward in Parliament”, Serré explains, adding that government work now continues even if Parliament is suspended. He points to the meetings between the PM and the provincial Premiers, and the Ministers’ visits to their US counterparts to address Trump’s threats and demands.
“We are in a good position,” he assures, conjecturing that Trump is using threats as a negotiating tactic to reopen the CUSMA free trade agreement, and that inflationary pressure in the US will convince him to back down. He adds that there has been and continues to be efforts to diversify our markets and reduce our reliance on our southern neighbour. “We are the only G7 country that has a trade agreement with every other G7 country,” Serré points out, adding that there is more to do on that front.
Again, Serré points to things that people here in Nickel Belt can control and act on, such as buying Canadian. “We have to have a second look when we buy a product and ask if it’s really a Canadian product. (…) Are you going to buy the hammer ‘made in Canada’ for $25 at Canadian Tire, or will you buy one for $10 or $15 at the other store? We have to think about it. It’s hard because people are already struggling with the high cost of living, but those who can afford it should really think about it,” he encourages.
He also recommends being leery of social media and misinformation, which tends to divide people, and asks constituents to be more involved and engaged through organisations that keep the community strong and resilient, such as food banks. “We have to help each other,” he urges, saying that solidarity is called for in difficult times. Serré adds that government response plans will also include aid for workers and businesses affected, should a trade war materialize. “There is no magic solution,” he admits, saying that “easy slogans may win political points but they don’t solve real problems.”
