Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke NDP
Media Release for January 25, 2007
On October 8th of this year, the voters of Ontario are going to the polls to elect a new provincial government. In preparation, Renfrew County’s New Democrats will hold their nomination meeting in April, to choose their candidate for the riding of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke.
Provincial NDP riding president Felicite Stairs feels this coming election is an important opportunity for the people of Renfrew County to declare that they are fed up with the Liberal-Conservative record of empty promises and inaction on the problems closest to the interests of local workers, seniors, students, and tax-payers.
“We're losing manufacturing jobs at a record rate. The health care system continues to decline. Cuts to senior long-term care facilities are disgraceful; pensioners are getting only half the food allocation of prisoners in our jails. Our municipalities are still suffering from the Conservative downloading of responsibilities, and the Liberals have allowed property tax assessments to rise way too high. Colleges and universities are allowed to keep raising their tuition fees, to the point where a post-secondary education is now out of the reach of far too many families. The Conservatives made a mess of the province, and the Liberals have done next to nothing to fix it. It's a disgrace that voters have to call them on,” Stairs said.
“We think people have a right to know the fresh ideas that the NDP is proposing to address the concerns of the average tax-payer,” Stairs continued. “Proposals like freezing property assessments until a house is sold would relieve home-owners from ever-escalating municipal tax bills – bills that are unfair to senior citizens and others on fixed incomes. Proposals like setting a minimum standard of decent care that all senior care facilities must meet. Proposals like increasing the number of health care workers. Proposals like a freeze on tuition fees.”
“We plan to let people know that they have an alternative to what people are calling the Destructive Conservatives and the Do-Little Liberals,” Stairs said. “We intend to make sure that the potential for positive change is front-and-centre in this election. We also hope to attract more young people into the political process. Politicians need to hear from younger voices, and young people have vital interests at stake in this election, such as the chance at, and cost of, education and training opportunities, as well as the need for far more job creation”
Stairs will announce the exact time and place of the nomination meeting in February.
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Updated: January 27, 2007