An Oak Bluff resident has stepped up to the plate to submit her name for the nomination for the Conservative nomination in Portage-Lisgar, following Candice Bergen's exit from her role as MP. Rejeanne Caron made the announcement this week. 

"I am a mom of a 12-year-old girl," says Caron. "I'm a wife. My husband's retired from the RCMP and I live in Oak Bluff. I am a police officer with Winnipeg Police Service for my 29th year now and I'm still active. I am on the streets, I'm working in West District and I'm responding to 9-1-1 calls."

She decided to run due to all that she's personally seen with crime, and feels it could be changed if the right decisions were made in Ottawa.

"I have pretty much nothing that I really haven't seen," notes Caron. "With that, unfortunately, I've seen a lot of violence on the streets. And when I first started as a police officer, things were nowhere near what they are today. Seeing what I'm seeing on the streets, one of the big things is with the Liberal government who changed the Bail Reform Act. What that means is, they're releasing offenders that are violent, that are repeat offenders and they're not rehabilitated -- a lot of them."

Caron says she arrests substance abusers, and the next day, they're basically out of the courts. As a result, Caron says, crime and violent crime has risen drastically.  

"I've had one lady in the back of my cruiser car. She was begging me to give her help to get her treatment, and nothing is more frustrating when you see somebody who is in that state crying out for help. So, taking in all of those things and seeing domestic violence -- the stabbings and the shootings and the gangs -- we're also seeing, unfortunately, a lot of drug dealing in the community. We have to protect our children and these people are getting very little for what they're committing their crimes for. Really, there is no deterrent anymore for people."

Caron describes her experience with talking to victims of serious domestic abuse and informing them that the criminal has been released. She says it's her job at that moment to find a place for these people to stay so as not to be victimized again. As a police officer, Caron notes she's driven to be part of what can change these situations.

"As a country, what are we doing here if we don't have safety? What do we have if we can't walk outside and go and walk our dog, walk with our children, then what do we have as Canadians?" asks Caron. "As a mom, I see things are expensive. Food is expensive. Our bills are expensive -- gas. I'm a hockey mom. I go out and I'm roaming the entire riding going from Altona to Portage, to Morris, Winkler, Carman, Starbuck -- you name it. Everything adds up. It's so frustrating. I've talked to a lot of moms. They tell me, 'I'd love to stay home with my family, but I have to take a job because I want my children to be able to play hockey, or have those extra things in life.' This is something that you would have never heard of before."

She says she feels the federal government under Justin Trudeau has brought massive deficits that are causing the inflationary problems that we're seeing, along with rising mortgage rates. 

"As a police officer, as a parent citizen, I say, 'Wait a minute, here. I could just retire tomorrow, but I do not want to do that. What's the future going to be like for the next generations, for our seniors?' It's a quality of living issue. As a police officer, I'm seeing people struggling mentally. Suicide rates have increased and there is a better path. I know there is and I am strong enough to take my experience as a parent, as a police officer, and move forward and make some good policy changes. A lot of things we can reverse and we can change to make the country that I grew up in and love."

Caron addresses the key issues she says are facing the country, noting firearms concerns. She says she can explain what's happening with firearms as one who is arresting people and has the insight to expose the real problem that's occurring with gang members and drug dealers, and not the law-abiding citizens she says are taking firearm licensing courses.

"Gang members and drug dealers are criminals," notes Caron. "They don't care. They will make them. They will import them, they will do whatever is necessary in order to protect their criminal enterprise, drug dealing, and enforcement. With this government, putting a ban in place or even a buyback, that's going to cost taxpayers billions of dollars that you and I are going to have to be paying, and for what? It's not going to solve the problem that's going on in our streets."

She also addresses carbon tax, saying that it is indeed a tax and not an environmental plan.

"If we're really actually worried about the environment, the government would have a sound plan, and it's not making an effect," notes Caron. "We still have to drive, especially in this riding. We can't just hop on a bus or we can't just walk to whatever. We have to drive. It's the same thing with our Indigenous communities. They're very remote. All of this is all compounding on itself. And it hurts our farmers who are trying to make a living. It's a lot of the reason that prices are increasing."

She notes she already made reference to healthcare, and explains she not only has an inside view on this, but adds Canadians must have fast and immediate good quality health care. This, said Caron, requires the government to bring doctors and nurses into the area, as well as come up with a plan that is enticing and motivating to recruit people, and have the best healthcare system. 

Additionally, she notes freedom is important, and feels Canadians should enjoy the fundamental freedoms under the Canadian Charter of Rights, and makes reference to Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Acts, which spells out certain requirements in the Broadcasting Act that publish programs online, including giant social media companies.

"Look at Bill C-11," adds Caron. "I feel freedom of speech is being eroded where the government says what we and media are allowed to be posting, and what the Canadian public should or should not be viewing."

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