MP Mike Lake returns to Ottawa as Parliament reconvenes

OTTAWA -- Leduc-Wetaskiwin MP Mike Lake and his Conservative colleagues returned to work this week in Ottawa.

Lake was first elected as a member of Parliament in 2006 and won re-election in April's federal election. He and other elected representatives returned to the House of Commons this week for the first time since early January, when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament.

Since that time, various national issues have been front-and-centre in the minds of Canadians, especially those living in western provinces. In conversation with the One, MP Mike Lake talked about some of the biggest concerns his party will be working to address for the members of his riding, and Alberta as a whole.

"Certainly, there's a conversation that absolutely needs to be had around pipelines, and getting our energy to market," said Lake. "But there's also other conversations that we need to have around the fiscal situation Canada is in generally."

The Canadian economy has struggled in recent years, with last year's statistics from the Bank of Canada showing that the country's real GDP growth per capita had fallen dramatically from 2012 to 2022. The numbers placed Canada's economic growth near the bottom when compared to other developed nations, which many believe has negatively impacted various aspects of everyday life. Mike Lake and his colleagues in parliament will be hoping to nudge Canada in a better direction over the next four weeks. 

"Affordability for Canadians, and public safety is a huge issue we heard a lot about during the campaign," said Lake. "There are a lot of issues that will need to be brought to the forefront of the conversation."

The veteran MP notes that the last ten years have been a challenge for many Canadians and that a new direction is needed to put the country on a better track. He also weighed in on the disappointing result for Canada's Conservative Party during the April 28th federal election, and says he still has optimism about the party's future.

"I think as more and more Canadians hear our vision for the country, more of them will come in our direction," said Lake. "We saw a little bit of momentum -- not enough to get us over the line -- but we need to continue that momentum from what we learned during that campaign."

In addition to his role as MP for Leduc-Wetaskiwin, Mike Lake is also serving as the Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addictions.