Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre is expected to be in the Legislature on Monday - how will she react to medical service people in Public Gallery ?

By Pepper Parr

May 5^th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

Next Monday a large group of people who oppose what the provincial government wants to do to the health system we have will do their best to fill parts of the Public Gallery in the Legislature .

Natalie Pierre speaking at Queen’s Park

While the group sits in the Gallery Natalie Pierre will be in her seat and when there is a vote she will stand and vote with the government and I wonder how she will feel.

I met with Natalie for a very short period of time during the election.  I was impressed – there was a sense of empathy that I felt during the short period of time I was able to talk with her.

There was supposed to be a longer follow up interview with Natalie but her handlers made sure that didn’t happen.

Natalie was new to the game and chose to follow directions rather than follow her instincts and inquire.

Her years at Sheridan College, where she worked in Human Relations, was a time when she developed the ability to listen.

I find myself wondering what Natalie will think is as she glances at the people in the Gallery and wondering if she will ask herself: Am I serving those people or am I one of a number of people in this place, here to support a government that I am a part of ?

The woman who represented Burlington before Natalie was elected didn’t have the ability to understand what people wanted or needed.  She was an MPP looking out for herself.

The sense I gained when I talked to Natalie was that she was genuine; real and capable of knowing what people needed.

I expect Natalie will vote with the government knowing full well that to not vote will kill and chance she might have to grow is as a legislator.

My early sense was that this one was different.

There has not been an opportunity to interview Natalie since she was elected. Whatever her office sends out to media doesn’t come our way.

It has been our practice to publish the maiden speech of every member of both Parliament and Queen’s Park.  We were in touch with Natalie’s office asking if they would let us know when she was to speak.

We didn’t hear from her office then and you didn’t get to hear what she had to say.

So far the voice of Natalie Pierre has not been that strong.

We understand that some people, elected to serve the public, aren’t comfortable with the way we report events.  Their job is not to be comfortable but to be available to accredited media.

Were we to publish puff pieces often enough we would be made very welcome.

Our approach it to work at doing our best to inform the public so that they can make informed decisions.

Going forward we will work a little harder at getting through to Natalie Pierre.

Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.