LETTER

 

-----   Denise Giroux takes stock of her campaign

 

       After  an election campaign that no one wanted except Mr. Trudeau, as the NDP candidate in Pontiac, I feel positive about the work we have accomplished. 

       Throughout my campaign, I met so many people frustrated with the Trudeau government, its unproductive half-measures, and then this costly and unnecessary election. People want to be sure that drug coverage becomes part of our health care, that every Canadian has a decent, affordable home and that we make the shift to renewable energy. I am also concerned with the plans of the old parties for the Chalk River nuclear waste dump. This is the future of our river and further downstream, of the St Lawrence itself! 

Pontiac reflects Canada's diversity. There are affluent and other more impoverished, urban and rural areas. Many people expressed their frustration at not feeling heard by Ottawa, despite being so close -- the rising cost of living, the lack of child-care spaces or their lost hope of being  able to buy a house. They want a champion who will work for them. They also know that neither of the old parties has the courage to stand up to Big Oil and the Monsantos of the world. I will continue to do everything I can so that government actually improves the lives of Pontiac's people.

Please remember that just because the old parties won’t change things doesn't mean that it is  impossible. Taxing the extra-rich is not utopian, it is necessary and fair.  But what is magical thinking is to believe that the same old recipes will give new results. It is urgent to elect progressive MPs with real  courage! 

After these weeks of campaigning, I feel more motivated than ever to serve the people of Pontiac.

Denise Giroux, NPD Pontiac

Cantley