Serré exemplifies balancing act Trudeau faces in 2019

Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré is featured in a Maclean's Magazine feature series this month on the growing divide between the political left and right in Canada.

As a Liberal Member of Parliament from a rural area, the article said Serré is an example of the tightrope Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to walk when he seeks reelection in October. Serré also chairs the party's rural caucus, made up of more than 50 MPs from rural or partially rural ridings. 

“If you had to single out just one Liberal MP for being tuned in to the dangers of his party coming off as too big-city, sometimes a little elitist, Marc Serré would be a likely pick,” says the article (https://www.macleans.ca/politics/this-is-whats-wrong-with-canadas-left/) by journalist John Geddes. 

“Not only does Serré chair the party’s rural caucus—yes, the Liberals have a rural caucus—he boasts a family political history that features a rebellious stand against the Liberal establishment on arguably the most polarizing issue of recent times.” 

The issue was the infamous mandatory gun registry brought in by Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien. The registry was a deal breaker for Serré's uncle, Benoit Serré, MP for Timiskaming—French River from 1993-1997, and Timiskaming—Cochrane from 1997-2004. 

Benoit Serré voted against his own party in opposing the registry in 1995.

“My uncle would have been elected for the next 100 years because he voted against the government,” Marc Serré says in the article. “If there was another gun registry submitted, I’d do the same thing.” 

The current challenge for MPs such as Serré is Trudeau's perceived elitism among rural voters, the article said. Recent elections have shown the Liberal support base concentrated in cities, where voters make issues such as the environment, systemic racism and gun control a priority.

Trudeau has tasked Toronto MP Bill Blair to find ways to curb gun violence, one of those issues that exposes the rural and urban divide in Canada. While big city dwellers tend to support more gun control, it sparks outrage in rural areas.

Serré said Blair is talking to everyone in caucus, but will meet separately with those in favour and those opposed “because the issue is so emotional.

“We have to let Bill do his job,” Serré said in the article. “He’s consulting with both sides.” 

Trudeau also tripped up MPs like Serré when his government imposed rules on the Canada Summer Jobs program that required applicants to “respect” certain rights, such as access to abortion. The party later backtracked, but the issue created problems for Serré, whose riding is largely Roman Catholic. 

“But the summer jobs uproar confirmed the suspicions of some religious groups that the Liberals just don’t respect them at a deep level,” the article said.

Read the full article here.