He stressed you do not need to be an elected politician to help a community, but it can help in creating conversations. Having a politician that lines up with the values of the area can always help. Manitoba does suffer from “perimeteritis” and there is a need to remind Winnipeg that the rural areas are there and they have needs.
“When you look at the volunteers, our rural communities are vibrant. It’s because of our rich, rural past in Manitoba that we even have strong aWinnipeg, a strong Brandon, a strong urban centre.”
As he explained, he was born and raised a Conservative. He believes in conservative fiscal values, and it is the party that represents he and his family the best. Turtle Mountain is a traditionally Conservative riding, but he knows another party could get elected here. The ruling NDP have their highest profile candidate in the area in recent memory in former Killarney Mayor Rick Pauls for the next election.
“I think people will vote for the party they feel the most comfortable with,” Custance stated, “but I feel party politics gets a little thin when you go out and meet people. I don’t think people want to vote for me as a Conservative, but want to vote for me as a person. As Conservatives, we can represent where we are now, and that’s fiscal responsibility, affordability.”
He added whoever gets elected is there to represent the whole riding, not just the people who voted for them.
One key for Custance is continuing economic development in the rural area. He and wife Kendra are presently running Real Greens, producing fresh leafy greens 365 days a year. It proved you could develop this type of industry in the rural area, and this is an idea Custance thinks can expand into the entire region, helping secure the future.
“I want to help build a place where my kids can find jobs. Let’s build more care facilities, let’s build more value-added agriculture, let’s build some processing facilities here in rural Manitoba instead of having to truck our product halfway across the country and then have to buy it back.”
Custance said there might have been a time where rural areas were seen as behind the times. Technology has changed that. This allows for opportunity with the positive aspects of small town life.
Custance is from around Pierson, which is on the western end of the riding. However, he feels he can represent the entire constituency. Living in the riding already gives him a leg up, he said, and he is becoming more and more familiar with the area, especially being involved in municipal politics.
“I’ve really enjoyed travelling the whole area, meeting people. When you drive to Winnipeg, you get to drive through the whole constituency. It’s a large constituency, but there are key people in each community.”
He said if he were successful in getting elected, his focus would be on the grassroots, meeting people where they are, engaging in the communities.
“I just want to be at the table, and say ‘hey, they need that there’. There are so many great things happening here, we want it to continue.”
“Every community has a story, every community has a past. I want to focus on the future.”
Although there have been rumours a provincial election could be called earlier, the next scheduled is for 2027.