Of all 338 sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), Simcoe-Grey’s Terry Dowdall stands out as the strong-but-silent type.
Reporting by CBC Radio-Canada released Sept. 16 ranks all sitting MPs on the number of speeches given in the House of Commons since Nov. 22, 2021, as well as number of votes taken by MPs within the same time period.
According to the report, Simcoe-Grey MP Terry Dowdall was in the bottom 15 for number of speeches (37) delivered (also called interventions) in the House, however he also topped the vote list of all MPs – tied with York-Simcoe MP Scot Davidson – voting 852 times.
“The majority of the time, the speaking in the house is universal to the party. The shadow ministers get the majority of the air time,” said Dowdall in an interview with CollingwoodToday. “For me, the most important part is votes. That’s what we’re here for, to cast votes for the people of our riding and make sure we’re there to represent them.”
“I want to be able to say I’ve put my hand up for the people of Simcoe-Grey,” he added.
He said he always participates in discussions at the caucus level, which take place behind closed doors, prior to a vote in the House of Commons.
“A lot of stuff in done in committee meetings before,” he explained.
According to the CBC report, in total, MPs stood to deliver speeches or statements in House of Commons 126,000 times during the current session, which works out to an average of 373 speeches or statements per MP since 2021.
Twenty-four of those MPs stood to speak fewer than 50 times each during that period, including Dowdall.
MPs all receive the same base salary of $203,100. The amount of time MPs spend addressing the House tends to vary depending on their caucus responsibilities and whether they're on the government or opposition benches.
“It also depends on where you are in the party too,” said Dowdall.
Dowdall said he usually will only stand to speak if it’s a topic that he knows impacts Simcoe-Grey.
“If I am, it’s something that will impact our riding directly,” he said.
In the House, Dowdall recalls that one of his speeches was regarding Decast in Essa Township, and another was regarding the Honda plant in Alliston.
“This week, I met with all the Tim Hortons franchise owners in the riding about hiring practices and what they need to do,” he said. “I’m taking that to the shadow ministers to highlight.”
“In Collingwood and the Blue Mountains, employment is a large one. We have a tougher issue than other areas because of the cost of our houses,” said Dowdall.
Currently, Dowdall is a backbencher as he doesn’t occupy a government office nor is he a spokesperson or member of the shadow cabinet. However, he currently is a member of the standing committee on veterans affairs and of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group. In the past, he also served on committees for transport, infrastructure and communities, national defence and the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked if he has aspirations to move up within the Conservative Party and take a more active role, Dowdall said he’s keeping his options open.
“Hopefully, in the next election – whenever it comes around – you never know. It’s up to the leader of the day,” he said.
