Constituency office to open next week

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By Daniel Martins

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When Tilly O'Neill-Gordon was officially sworn in as Miramichi MP last Wednesday, accompanied by a small group of friends and cousins, she recalled feeling honoured.

"It was a real honour, and I just wish more people could have been here to see it," she said.

Since that day, she says she's had her share of experiences as a newcomer in Parliament, recounting her first day in the House Wednesday, when the speaker was chosen — watching the senate review the speech from the throne, then moving back into the house to move the motion of it.

"It was very enjoyable," she said. "I enjoyed every minute of it."

O'Neill-Gordon has several years of experience and involvement in provincial and municipal politics, from sitting on past hospital boards to being president of the Women's Progressive Conservative Association, as well as her current post as vice president of the provincial PC senior executive.

Even so, she found federal politics to be somewhat different.

"I must admit that the federal scene is different from the municipal level, in the size of it, for one thing," she said. "You just look and see all these people you're meeting every day. You're meeting new people all the time."

As for the Prime Minister Stephen Harper, she has met him twice since assuming her duties, once at the party's annual meeting in Winnipeg, and on Wednesday, during a lull in the activity when he was sitting alone in his seat and she wandered over and sat next to him.

"We had a chat about the Miramichi," he said. "It was very informal, but I felt very good that I was able to reach him so easily and talk to him about some concerns."

She says she has usually been home every weekend.

"I know I'm trying to get home as much as I can, and I'm looking forward to visiting people from Miramichi who come to Ottawa," she said.

While her offices in Ottawa are pretty much established, she said her constituency office will not be open until some time next week, as it is situated in a former restaurant and required some renovations. Once complete, she said there will be bilingual staff on hand.

Her senior assistant in Ottawa is Ginette Gagnon, while her executive assistant in Miramichi is Robert Trevors, who is also a city councillor.

Trevors says he consulted with city solicitor Mike Noel before taking on the position, and the other council members were aware of his post in O'Neill-Gordon's office.

Based on his consultation with Noel, he said he will have to declare a conflict of interest if any issues related to the MP's office come before council.

"If it was anything with the office here directly, I would have to step out," he said.

O'Neill-Gordon said she was told something similar when she consulted with a lawyer regarding potential conflicts of interest, and does not anticipate any problems.

She praised Trevors' work so far.

"He's working awful hard, I know that," she said. "He's there to serve everybody, and he's doing a wonderful job."

Tilly O'Neill-Gordon or one of her assistants can be contacted at the following offices:

In Ottawa:

House of Commons

Confederation Building, Room 533

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A6

613-992-5335

Fax: 613-996-8418

In Miramichi:

4 Renaud Street

Miramichi, New Brunswick

E1V 6T1

506-778-8448

Fax : 506-778-8150

O'Neill-Gordon's assistant in Ottawa says the phones at the Miramichi office should be operational by next week, when moving into the office is scheduled.