 Flis was also a founding director of Operation Go Home (Toronto Branch), and is the recipient of a Gold Award from the Canadian Polish Congress.He was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1979 election, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Yuri Shymko by seventy-four votes in the Toronto riding of Parkdale—High Park.The Progressive Conservatives under Joe Clark won a minority government in this election, and Flis served as a member of the Official Opposition in the parliament which followed.