FERGUS – NDP leader Andrea Horwath said at a campaign stop in Fergus she was confident traditionally blue ridings like Wellington-Halton Hills can flip in the upcoming election.
Horwath paid a visit to the Guelph Wellington Paramedic Service station on Queen Street in Fergus as one of her first in-person campaign stops since recovering from COVID.
The NDP leader said in an interview she was visiting the station to give thanks to paramedics during paramedic appreciation week by bringing donuts and coffee. She also took time to listen to their concerns and challenges of their job during COVID.
She also said she was visiting the riding to make a statement to residents in the longtime Progressive-Conservative stronghold, represented by Ted Arnott for the past 32 years, that there are other options.
“The reason why I’m here and I’m going to ridings that are currently held by conservatives around the province is to show people that you don’t have to continue to be disappointed by more conservative cuts,” Horwath said, in reference to the healthcare system.
“We need to elect a premier that’s prepared to fix the broken hospital system and to prioritize things that matter most to everyday people. That’s a moment in time we are facing right now.”
Wellington-Halton Hills NDP candidate Diane Ballantyne added it is a different world than it was in 2018 and the norm shouldn’t necessarily be expected. She pointed to long-term care, education, healthcare, housing and affordability as issues driving voters this election.
“Young families are mobilized, young people are mobilized, seniors are mobilized, there’s an awful lot of people that are mobilized in having a say in what happens in this upcoming election,” Ballantyne said.
“In Wellington-Halton Hills there were more people who didn’t vote at all than who actually voted for the current member right now. So there is a huge capacity for change in this riding and we’re ready to make that happen.”
Horwath also added this wasn’t necessarily just a Doug Ford problem but claimed many problems stem from previous Liberal governments.
“If you want health care to be fixed, if you want hospitals to take care of people the way we know that they can, then we need to vote NDP this time so that we can get what we want when it comes to fixing hospitals and healthcare,” Horwath said.
The provincial election is June 2.
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