The dedicated public exposure has likely helped him in the polls (he held his seat in 2015 with 68.9 per cent of the vote). So, I’ve a good understanding of a wide variety of issues, which enables me to be able to talk-some might argue at length, that’s debatable-on many different issues.” You name it, I’ve probably been a critic of it. “I’ve been a critic on many different portfolios, especially in the Manitoba legislature. “I’ve been in the opposition for well over 20 years,” he says. That said, there’s no denying Lamoureux has had a lot to say on everything from citizenship and income tax to ISIS and airports. “You can be quiet and effective. Some of our strongest advocates at the standing committees say very little on the floor of the House of Commons.” “I don’t think we should measure individuals by how many words they speak inside the House,” he said. Read William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying aloud: that’s how many words he’s said on the floor. That’s more than twice as many words as the Prime Minister and about 10,000 more than the next chattiest MP, Conservative Garnett Genuis. It’s a bold claim, considering Lamoureux is officially Canada’s most talkative MP.ĭuring debates, he’s spoken more than any other MP in the Trudeau-led Parliament - 54,663 words as of May 1. Office hours with Winnipeg Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux. “I don’t do all the talking, just most of it. “I speak more at this table we’re sitting at than I do on the floor of the House of Commons,” he laughs. Now, elected to his federal seat in a 2010 by-election, it’s a commitment he keeps up even as parliamentary secretary to the government House leader. It’s truly amazing.”įigures of Speech: A deep dive into who says what in the House of Commonsīy his recollection, Lamoureux began meeting constituents at the McDonald’s in 1989 or ’90, not long after he was voted into the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. People that have been having problems with their cars. We had someone that had problems with a child that was wanting to leave Canada for a period of time and there could be a potential consequence to staying outside Canada too long. “We had three individuals who are having problems with immigration related to marriages. “Today we had someone talking about euthanasia,” he says. Most Saturdays he meets with between 14 and 40 constituents, so a chance for a bite means it’s relatively calm. He’s even found a moment to eat a Big Mac meal (hold the lettuce). “He’s very approachable.”īy noon, Lamoureux has met with 10 people. John Cantius Parish outlining concerns about euthanasia. He smiles as he greets constituents.īenice Mandzik and Jeanette Moran are his first visitors. At a corner table (always the same one), Lamoureux has set up office: note pad, pen, and an old, plastic recipe box filled with his business cards. Families dine on multi-patty burgers, children tumble through the play centre and staff shuffle around cleaning up food lost to the high-traffic floor. The bleak scenery contrasts with the warmth and life inside the fast-food restaurant. The McDonald’s is on a street lined with boxy, single-storey industrial buildings the same washed-out grey as the sky on this day. ![]() ![]() In fact, these are his office hours.įor the next four hours the former MLA and current Liberal MP for Winnipeg North will talk one-on-one with residents of his riding. “Even if I’m in Ottawa,” he says, “they know that every Saturday I’m here.”Īnd when he says every Saturday, he’s not exaggerating-he’s kept the same routine for almost 25 years. Wearing a grey hoodie, jeans and black sneakers, he looks like a Saturday-morning regular. ![]() and Kevin Lamoureux is sitting in a corner at the McDonald’s on Keewatin Street in Winnipeg.
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