OTTAWA, ONTARIO. On Tuesday, March 22nd, Lisa Raitt hosted her first ever Tele-Town Hall conference as part of an ever-growing effort to increase accessibility and opportunities for constituents of Halton to give their opinions on what the priorities should be for parliament.

“Over the past few years I have hosted a series of consultation meetings across Halton. These provide an opportunity for residents to voice their concerns and ideas directly to me,” said Lisa Raitt, Member of Parliament for Halton. “Response to these meetings has been overwhelmingly positive, however people are often unable to attend for various reasons including accessibility, age and other commitments.”

Raitt is encouraged by the amount of constituents who took part as she experimented with this new cutting edge technology as a way to reach out to constituents. During tonight’s hour long conversation more than 5,000 people connected with the call, a huge increase from the amount of people who usually participate in traditional Town Hall style meetings.

“It is important people know that even when I am in Ottawa, Halton remains my number one priority, and I am so excited that technology like this is able to bridge that geographical gap,” said Raitt speaking from her office on Parliament Hill.

In addition to those who registered for the call, a personal invitation went out to constituents all across Halton inviting them to participate in the call. Those who responded to the call were able to ask questions and share their opinions on various survey questions regarding their priorities.

“I strongly believe that in this world of technology, accessibility should never be a barrier between my constituents and me,” continued Raitt. “So while I assure you that traditional Town Hall Meetings will continue in future, today’s Tele-Town Hall provided me with an opportunity to reach more people than ever before.”