Meet Your Federal Candidates*

 


Progressive Conservative Incumbent Jamie Schmale

First elected in 2015, Jamie Schmale is the Member of Parliament for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

He recently served as the Shadow Minister for Northern Economic Development (FEDNOR), and Deputy Shadow Minister for Natural Resources Canada. Jamie has also served on the Standing Committee of Procedure and House Affairs (2015-2017) and currently sits on the Standing Committee of Natural Resources.

Born in Brampton and raised in Bobcaygeon, Jamie attended Fenelon Falls High School and Loyalist College in Belleville, graduating from the Radio Broadcasting program. He now calls Lindsay his home.

Jamie has devoted years to the betterment of his community, as a volunteer for numerous charities and not-for-profit organizations, as a journalist and as News Director.

Over the past 4 years, Jamie has had the opportunity to meet with and discuss the challenges facing constituents across the riding. These issues are a priority for him and the Conservative party in the upcoming election. This includes the lack of infrastructure development, poor access to internet and cellular service, and the overall affordability crisis across rural Ontario.

In the past several years, Jamie has advocated for a dedicated rail line to improve the health of the local economy, connect commuters to major employment centers, and reduce the environmental impact of motor vehicles. Additionally, despite the municipalities and current provincial government stepping forward with funding to kick start improvement to rural connectivity, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government dragged their feet on making a commitment for critical broadband and cellular service improvements for the majority of Eastern Ontario.

These issues tie into the overarching challenges of affordability. Not only is it increasingly expensive to fuel your car, but the cost of heating your home, and certainly the cost of rent, continues to increase. These are issues that Jamie hears about on a regular basis, and that the Conservative Party takes very seriously.

Jamie hopes to have the honour of serving the constituents of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock in the upcoming 43rd session of Parliament.


Green Party Candidate Elizabeth Fraser

My name is Elizabeth Fraser and I am your Green Party candidate in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. I am 21 years old and studying Environmental Studies at Carleton University; however, I have lived in Bethany  for my entire life. I got involved in politics in my first year at Carleton by creating the Green Party club; I have been president of the club for the past two years. Through my experience with political activities and through my studies, I have come to realize how important political action is when it comes to addressing our climate crisis. The Green Party offers the best and most aggressive climate solutions while ensuring that we build a strong economy and create fair and just social services. That is why I’ve taken time away from my studies to focus on best representing the party for the people of this riding. What attracted me to the Green Party the most was their forward-thinking nature. For too long government policies have been focused just on the next four years, but this is a position that we can no longer afford. In order to truly combat climate change, our policies must look to the future and make investments and changes now that will benefit everyone in the future. How can we do this? We can support our small businesses, the backbone of our economy. We can make re-training more affordable and just, encouraging people to enter new and green industries. We can make our communities digitally and physically accessible. We can reform our tax system so that taxes are distributed according to ability to pay and do not subsidize large corporations and oil companies. We can address the inequalities and injustices within our social services, such as health care and housing, so that all Canadians have access to the same quality of services. We can take of all Canadians, from early learning and childcare for our children to ensuring the Canada Pension Plan will be able to support our seniors. I want to commit the next four years to improving the quality of life of the people in this riding while ensuring we take effective steps towards addressing the climate crisis. The time is now. My vision for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock is not left or right. It will move us all forward, together.


Liberal Nominee Judi Forbes

As a mother of four successful adults, the owner of Moorlands Bed and Breakfast in Beaverton, and a former bank senior manager, Judi has a deep understanding of the daily challenges faced by families in our region.  She understands the need to develop skills and create good jobs for continuous economic renewal and the need to protect our environment and renew our infrastructure for future generations.  A great listener and full of energy, Judi is committed to be a champion and trusted voice for the people of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

Judi and her family have long worked, gone to school and vacationed in this region – enjoying our beautiful open spaces, pristine lakes, and pastoral settings.  After living in Don Mills for 25 years working in the financial services sector with Meridian Credit Union and the TD Bank Financial Group, eight years ago, Judi and her family chose to make their home on Lake Simcoe, while actively contributing to our friendly, hard working and energetic community.  As a passionate volunteer dedicated to helping others, Judi currently chairs the board of a local nursing home and is on the board with the Brock Board of Trade. In the past, Judi has been a volunteer and helped raise funds for Habitat for Humanity, Engineers Without Borders, the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centres, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Cancer Society.

Judi joins the national team of as the nominee for our riding – to join our national team of talented, diverse, and hardworking Liberal leaders to expand the most open and inclusive movement in Canadian politics in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. Working together across Canada, the hope and hard work of Liberal candidates and their campaign teams are focused on positive politics that will grow our economy and improve the lives of all Canadians.


Meet Gene Balfour, Your Local People’s Party Candidate

“Job qualifications really matter!” Gene Balfour exclaims.   Gene, a former professional recruiter, lives in Fenelon Falls. His perspective comes from over 35 years of working in the employment industry (primarily the IT sector), interviewing over 10,000 job candidates and servicing the needs of thousands of hiring managers.

“Hiring a Prime Minister for Canada is no different”. Gene recommends that every voter scrutinize all Party leaders not only on their political message and party platform, but also on their relevant career history, skills acquired, knowledge gained and track record of achievements. Gene, a former Libertarian candidate, took exactly this approach before choosing to support Maxime Bernier and the PPC in this election.

“Maxime Bernier is a best candidate for Prime Minister.  He possesses a diverse 32-year career history of achievements from which he acquired the necessary experience, knowledge and good judgment to actually make Canadian life more affordable and prosperous for everyone.”

This federal election is all about Affordable Living. Ironically, our governments contribute the most to our high cost of living! The average working Canadian remits 53% of annual earnings to taxes levied by our 3 levels of government, an increase from 38% in 1961. The remaining 47% is often not enough to pay for housing, childcare, the rising cost of groceries and transportation, and the extra services that our seniors require. This “tax inflation” cannot continue.

The election platforms of the NDP, Green Party and Liberals will surely increase the cost of living.  A vote for either the Conservatives or the People’s  Party will signify voter preference for a reduction in the high cost of our public institutions, their red tape and taxation. However, the Maxime Bernier is a better leader than Andrew Scheer.

As for Gene, he also has the best qualifications for MP in Ottawa to reduce the cost of living and to improve prosperity for our residents. Backed by a highly successful 42-year career, Gene acquired expertise in job markets, Economics, and Information Technology all of which will be essential to create sound public policies. His top priority is to benefit everyone with better jobs, more investments in productivity growth, and a reduction in the costs associated with excessive public sector red tape and taxes.

“A vote for me is a vote for Maxime Bernier and a vote to make Canada the best we can be!”


*All parties were invited to submit a profile in their own words and the NDP Candidate did not provide anything before the print deadline.

Tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.