Parsa looking forward to representing Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill at Queen’s Park once again

When you're elected once, it's a dream come true. When you're elected for a second time, for Michael Parsa it's an “even bigger honour.”

This is the feeling that is buoying the Progressive Conservative MPP as he prepares for his second term at Queen's Park after Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill voters handed him a decisive victory in the June 2 Provincial Election.

The victory, he says, is a “confirmation” that people were “very happy with the way the Premier and the government handled the situation throughout the pandemic” and is a testament to the leadership of both Doug Ford and his cabinet.

“The one thing [residents looked at when I went door to door] is this is a government who actually got things done,” said Mr. Parsa. “It wasn't like the previous where there were a lot of slogans and a lot of discussions – there are priorities. We need leadership to be able to make decisions and get things done and to be able to put those tangible solutions forward for things to turn around and that's what residents talked about.

“When you look at the population of the Province, not just in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, in the next 30 years it is going to be 15 million people [and] it's the fact we're going to need critical infrastructure to meet demand. We're going to need roads built, we're going to need highways built, critical infrastructure [in] expanding healthcare facilities like hospitals. We're going to need to build more schools. Those are all the things that people brought forward and they agreed with the platform of our party and I think the outcome of the election says it all.”

Over the course of the campaign, Mr. Parsa says he and his team knocked on more than 42,000 doors. At each encounter, he says he is thankful they took the time to share their concerns with him, some of which were very personal.

“Affordability was one that came up [and] when people take the time to talk about their personal issues and how it has been for them, how the pandemic has affected them, whether it is personally or professionally, I always appreciate that as someone who is looking to go and represent them.

“When you look at affordability, it is not unique to one or two individuals, but it affects people differently – everyone with their income or their lifestyle. It does hit people differently and, for me, looking back and going back to be able to look at those certain individuals who have unique concerns, those are the ones who, as a Member of the Legislature, I am going to be looking to and getting to them as best I can to be able to hopefully resolve them. It doesn't matter at what level, I'm going to be advocating for them. If it is a municipal issue, I am going to be reaching out to my municipal colleagues and ask them for support. If it is a federal issue, I am going to reach out to our federal counterparts and ask them for support to be able to help people.”

In a public sphere where political discourse is only getting more and more heated, Mr. Parsa says he is fully prepared to reach across the floor and help bridge any gaps for people whose vote may have gone to another candidate or party.

“We live in the greatest country in the world and even the best province within the greatest country and during campaign times, parties put their ideas and their platforms forward, we debate the issues and discuss them, and the people make the decision. Once the decision is made, we need to respect that decision and throughout the process we need to look at what people want, what the people are asking for and, for me, that means listening to others and hearing them as well, and being able to represent them to the best of my ability. It doesn't matter if they voted for me or not, I am their representative and I will do my best to be there for them and to address their concerns.

“The election is over and they chose me to be MPP to represent them and I am going to make sure I represent every resident of this riding to the best of my ability. I want to thank all those people who allowed every single one of us (candidates) to be able to approach them at the doors and to talk to them. It is so helpful to us, whether as candidates or people running for office, to be able to hear from them directly and it was terrific.

“I want to thank them for this opportunity to allow me to go back to Queen's Park and continue to represent them, and I also want to congratulate all the other candidates who put their names forward. They make the race better, they discussed and brought forward issues they cared about, and I am going to stay in touch with them as best I can to represent them and work with them. These are community leaders who put their names forward and I thank them for that. It takes a lot of courage and commitment, and a huge thanks to members from all parties who put their names forward to run in this election.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter