About Arnold Viersen
Member of Parliament for Peace River – Westlock
Arnold Viersen was born in Barrhead, Alberta and grew up nearby in the rural community of Neerlandia with his five siblings. Following high school, Arnold apprenticed as an auto service technician and attained his journeyman ticket from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). Arnold also earned a business degree from the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) while continuing his automotive career.
In 2010, Arnold married Melissa Bredenhof and they currently live in Westlock County, close to his childhood home in Neerlandia. Arnold and Melissa have six children: Aliyah, Seeley, Jillian, Daniel, Claire and Gideon. As a family, they continue to enjoy the outdoors, adding snowmobiling, hiking, and gardening to their list of favourite activities. An avid outdoorsman, Arnold enjoys hunting, fishing, and 4x4ing.
In October 2015, Arnold was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Peace River—Westlock. With 105,095 sq. km., the riding is one of the largest districts in Canada and represents one third of Northern Alberta. Peace River—Westlock has a population of 108,095 and includes fourteen First Nations and three Metis Settlements. Arnold was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
As a member of the Official Opposition, Arnold is passionate about advocating for the rights and concerns of rural families, farms and industries in Alberta and across Canada. Arnold is involved in a number of Parliamentary caucuses that help promote a better understanding of key issues including the Outdoor Caucus, and Pro-Life Caucus. Arnold is also a member of the Canada-Netherlands Parliamentary Friendship Group, Parliamentary Uyghur Friendship Group, Canadian Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and the Parliamentary Friends of the Kurds.
Recently, MP Viersen was appointed to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, where he and his colleagues are responsible to review Government spending in the reports of the Public Accounts of Canada and all reports of the Auditor General of Canada. MP Viersen previously served six years on the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs and two years on the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.
Arnold has actively fought against online sexual violence and human trafficking. On March 8, 2016, Arnold introduced Motion M-47 that instructed the Health Committee to examine the public health effects of the ease of access and viewing of online violent and degrading sexually explicit material on children, women, and men. Working across party lines, Arnold gained the support of the Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Bloc and Green parties and on December 8, 2016, Motion M-47 was unanimously adopted by the House of Commons. During the spring of 2017, the Health Committee studied the topic of Motion M-47 and tabled a report in the House of Commons on June 9, 2017. While the Committee Report failed to provide concrete recommendations, Arnold continues to advocate for meaningful age verification, opt-in tools and education for parents and youth.
In 2018, Arnold launched the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking to unite Parliamentarians across political lines. He serves as one of the four co-chairs.
The APPG regularly holds parliamentary briefings and actively moves policies forward including the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act by APPG co-chair Senator Julie Miville-Dechene.
On February 16, 2021, the APPG secured the adoption of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day every February 22 by unanimous consent in the House of Commons.
Arnold also works across party lines to raise awareness about the harms of pornography on youth and the companies the profit off exploitation and abuse.
In May 2022, he introduced the Stopping Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (SISE), which would require the verification of the age and consent of each person portrayed in pornographic material made for a commercial purpose, prior to creation and distribution. He was actively involved in the Pornhub study by the Standing Committee on Ethics, and strongly advocates the implementation of all 14 recommendations there. This bill will come before the House of Commons for debate in April 2024.
In November 2022, MP Viersen introduced Bill C-308, The National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking Act in the House of Commons which would strengthen Canada’s fight to end human trafficking by requiring the Government of Canada to maintain a national strategy to combat human trafficking and sets out minimum measures to be included. The Bill also requires the federal government to regularly review the strategy from a trauma-informed focus, consult with survivors and table annual progress reports in Parliament.