Jamie Fox and his wife were having lunch in Stanley Bridge after visiting some shops in the area last summer. He went to pay and spoke to a waitress.

 

            The woman had moved with her daughter to P.E.I. from Ontario and was struggling financially.

 

            Last winter, she had to close the second story of her home to reduce her heating bill. This winter, her boss said her hours would be cut back because tourism was down. The woman told her daughter they would have to wear more sweaters.

 

            That was when Fox made his decision.

 

           “You know what? I got to do this. I’ve got to try to make a difference,” he thought.

 

            Fox, 59, is running as the Conservative Party candidate for Malpeque in the upcoming federal election.

 

            His campaign began on Nov. 11, 2023, after resigning from eight years of service as the MLA for Borden-Kinkora.

 

            He had always thought about moving from provincial to federal politics and was encouraged to do so by other members of Parliament.

 

            Rona Ambrose, the former interim leader of the federal Conservative Party, was one of his biggest influences.

 

            After Fox succeeded in passing a bill in 2018 requiring P.E.I. judges to have sexual assault law education, Ambrose approached him to consult on the law, which she later passed federally.

 

            He said the Island is the perfect place for testing ideas to see if they’ll work on a larger scale.

 

           “Just because P.E.I. is the smallest province doesn’t mean we can’t make some of the biggest contributions.”

 

           Fox plans to represent his riding with this in mind, having already met with several community members since his resignation four months ago, to see what needs to be addressed.

 

           Malpeque needs to be a voice in Ottawa, he said, and he plans to represent rural Islanders on a greater scale than he did in the legislature.

 

           “[I] want to bring good things into P.E.I. that can help Islanders but can also be used as a model across the country.”

 

           He said one of his greatest strengths is being able to put things in context for urban Canadians who may not be familiar with struggles rural Canadians endure.

           

           “Ottawa is 20 miles surrounded by reality.”

 

           Fox said he realized through his time as an MLA and while campaigning that many people in his riding want to be heard by the government but feel they haven’t been. He hopes to tell their stories in parliament.

 

           But the former MLA has a lot of work ahead of him.

 

           Malpeque has not seen a Conservative MP for nearly four decades. Since 1988, it has been a Liberal district, currently represented by Heath MacDonald.

 

           Fox acknowledged this challenge and is aware of the pressure to represent his fellow Islanders well on a national level.

 

           He said he is known for working with different parties.

 

           A few years ago, Liberal MP Lawrence MacAulay contacted him asking for his assistance in providing funds to fix up a lawnmower racing facility in his Cardigan riding. Fox obliged, seeing it as an opportunity to help a fellow Islander.

 

           He hopes people won’t hold his political affiliation against him.

 

          “At the end of the day, people need help, and you got to be able to help.”

 

           He has no idea what he will do if he isn’t elected. He supports himself financially with personal savings and his pensions from his time as an MLA and prior employment, while he campaigns in Malpeque.

 

           Fox said he could’ve continued as an MLA but didn’t think it was right to do so while campaigning federally.

 

           “Our sights are on me as the next member of Parliament for Malpeque. We’ll deal with what happens after that.”