They say that in politics a week is a long time. It’s a saying that reflects the fact that things can change very quickly in public life.
The 13 years that Vic Toews served as the Member of Parliament for Provencher was a testament to how fast things can change as many did since he was first elected in 2000. At the time of his election, there were many who believed that there would never again be a conservative government elected to in Ottawa. The Alliance Party and the Progressive Conservative Party (the legacy Parties of the new Conservative Party) were still running against each other and splitting enough votes to prevent a national victory. There was also the common thought that Canadians would never again elect a Prime Minister from Western Canada.
Thirteen years later and both of those assumptions have proven, as assumptions often are in politics, to be incorrect. Mr. Toews helped served in a Conservative federal government under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a western Premier.
Similarly, the Provencher Constituency was considered fairly fertile ground for the Liberal Party in 2000. Liberal MP David Iftody was a popular incumbent who was hard working and well liked by many residents and winning the election for Toews was far from a sure thing. In fact, it was very much a gamble for Toews and it’s unlikely that any other candidate would have been successful. With the rising fortunes of the Conservative Party nationally and with hard on the ground work by Toews, Provencher has become a strong Conservative seat at this time.
As Toews retires from politics he will be remembered for the many significant positions he held both in the provincial government of Gary Filmon and the federal Conservative government. Few if any public figures can count the roles of provincial Minister of Labour, provincial Attorney General, federal Attorney General, President of the federal Treasury Board and federal Minister of Public Safety on their resume.
A long life of public service with significant responsibility often comes with a significant personal cost and no doubt the travel, long hours and public scrutiny took its toll at times on Mr. Toews. But it is a testament that through all of those pressures and challenges Mr. Toews was known to treat his constituents and his staff with respect and with dignity and indeed many of his staff remained in his employment for many years.
Locally Mr. Toews worked to ensure that the individual concerns of constituents were met as well as the collective needs of many growing communities. No doubt the requests outstripped the resources available but Mr. Toews advocated strongly for the needs of the region.
On behalf of the residents of the Steinbach Constituency I wish Vic Toews all the best as he begins a new chapter of life outside the public arena.
