"I haven't been on my skates for probably about seven years, and so it's good to get the rust of the skates and get moving," says MP for Portage--Lisgar, Candice Bergen.

Bergen held a skating event Saturday afternoon at the Morden Access Event Centre in lieu of her usual Christmas or New Year's tea.

"I wanted to see if I could meet some of the families, and I thought a good way to get families out was to host a skate."

She says the event was less about politics, and more about re-connecting with the constituents in her riding.

"Families are so important to our communities and to our country, and I know that families are really struggling to make ends meet. I hear a lot of that throughout the year."

Bergen adds, she also wanted families in the area to know that Conservatives care about families, and understand how difficult it can be living paycheque to paycheque.

"My office has lots and lots of people who come that we help. We help people and families with passport issues, immigration issues," says Bergen, who hopes her constituents see that her top priority is serving them.

"I feel very very blessed because of the confidence that they do put in me, considering that overall there are a lot of politicians that aren't very well trusted. I feel very trusted by my constituents and it's really an honour."

As well, strong leaders are also important to the community. She recognizes that with an upcoming election year, strong leadership is putting others ahead of yourself, and plans to keep standing up for her people.

"We as Conservatives will be champions and support Canadian jobs, Canadian families, Canadian farms, agriculture, and Canadian oil and gas, and natural resources," she says.

Listening to people's stories, experiences, concerns, and then acting on those, are some of Bergen's top priorities, which is why she found a family event something important to host this season.