Dear Editor,

This letter is regarding communications I had with my MP, Mr. Larry Miller, which began in February 2017 and concluded in what can only be described as a shocking e-mail forwarded to me via his constituency office this past summer.

I originally contacted Mr. Miller in February asking to meet with him regarding a proposal I wished to submit on an issue of great importance. He asked that I prepare a document outlining the proposal and with a clear ask. He orally committed to meet with me. I researched, compiled and prepared a 30-page document for submission. I indicated upon submission that I eagerly awaited our meeting. I had no response. Frustrated, and after having waited almost 4 months, I brought this failure to respond to Mr. Miller's attention. His response? Mr. Miller was dismissive of my proposal, offered no thoughtful or specific feedback commensurate with the hard work and time put in to preparing it and he claimed no agreement to meet was ever made.

Shortly thereafter, I discovered a photo of Mr. Miller taken with two senior members of a special interest/lobby group that he met with and posted on social media around the same time. This was a lobby group that was publicly opposed to that which I was seeking Mr. Miller's support on in my proposal. This caused me to ponder why my MP would meet with a special interest group but fail to adequately follow-up and meet with a constituent? It appeared to me Mr. Miller was giving preferential treatment to a special interest group vs. someone from his own constituency. When I raised the optics of this he became indignant. So much so that in an e-mail to me shortly thereafter he said, among other things, and I quote: "As to who I meet with in Ottawa or anywhere else is really none of your business."

Imagine a Member of Parliament telling a constituent that any business he conducts or meetings he undertakes as a Member of Parliament is none of their business? Members of Parliament have clear obligations to meet with constituents when asked and are legally required to log and record any and all meetings with representatives from special interest or lobby groups.

I am a life-long conservative and I believe Mr. Miller has demonstrated the kind of contempt that helped erode public confidence and perceived impartiality that lead to the decimation of the previous iteration of the Conservative Party to a 2-seat party in the early 1990's.

Mr. Miller's conduct is shameful. I long ago submitted a complaint to Mr. Miller's office, Mr. Andrew Scheer, Leader of the Conservative Party and Mr. Scott Lamb, President of the Conservative Party of Canada. As of the date of this letter, I have received no formal response. I can only assume they don't care. Furthermore, I also recently discovered that I can no longer comment on Mr. Miller's MP Facebook page. I guess silencing dissent is now the Conservative Party's strategy.

Sincerely,
Nigel Osborne
Durham, Ontario