Karen Graham
Last Tuesday, NDP Candidate Mike Perry was at the Legion offering some insights to the platform his party is proposing in the upcoming federal election. He first outlined the Fair Vote System, a new way of allocating seats in Parliament which is based on proportional representation which was discussed at length in our August 20th edition.
The evening was organized by Lyell Shields, who is a staunch NDP supporter. He believes it is critical for voters to get informed about the candidates, their parties and their positions in order to make informed choices on October 19th, and took the time to organize the opportunity for local residents to meet Perry in an informal setting where they could pose questions of local interest. With more than 30 in attendance, he was heartened to see that some in the audience did not have their minds made up but were there to learn and did so during the lively and informative discussion.
For Millbrook resident Jill Stocker, the evening gave her the opportunity to meet Perry and see him in action. “I had not met Mike Perry before the Tuesday meeting and was impressed by his energy and his understanding of local issues and concerns, particularly his response to questions about agriculture and the need to save family farms and increase support for funding agricultural enterprises,” Stocker concluded.
While canvassing with Perry, Millbrook resident Bill Slavin heard a common question about the lack of incentive to vote NDP in this, a historically conservative riding. What is going to be different this time? Perry’s response was that 38% of eligible voters did not vote during the last election, when the NDP came in second place. His objective is to motivate those abstaining into mobilizing on the NDP side, which would swing the results in their favour. The NDP majority in Alberta demonstrates that the party has momentum, even in conservative strongholds.
Liberal Candidate David Marquis is hosting a free community Barbeque event in Bethany on Saturday, September 29th from 4 to 7 pm while PC Candidate Jamie Schmale is hosting a “Coffee with the Candidate” event at Sylvia’s Coffee Shop in Millbrook on October 1st from 10 to 11:30 am.
If these times are not convenient, there are four remaining all-candidates meetings taking place in Lindsay on September 28th, 29th, October 1st and 8th. Shields encourages voters to get up to speed before Election Day, and asks that when candidates come canvassing to solicit our vote, “Let’s give them the courtesy of hearing their message. We will be that much better prepared to make an informed decision”. Sounds like good advice.
