Federal Conservative candidate Richard Neumann had the opportunity to introduce himself and his views to some district party members during a nomination meeting Friday night in Emo.
“We are not a region in decline, but we are a region in seemingly perpetual transition,” Neumann said in his speech to party members at the Emo Legion after he was officially acclaimed the Conservative candidate for Thunder Bay-Rainy River in the next federal election.
“We will continue to languish in that no-man’s land between an economy based on past assumptions and a future based on utopian predictions until we accept who we are, what we are, where we have been, and where we want to go together,” he stressed.
Neumann focused on how to improve the economy of Northwestern Ontario through investment in key industries and transportation infrastructure.
“We need to identify those businesses we wish to attract and then aggressively court them,” he argued. “Northwestern Ontario should be front and centre wherever business leaders gather on this continent.
“Our forestry and mining industries will continue to play a key role in our future,” he added, but “we must seek to diversify [and we] should look for ways to capitalize on our own markets even as we aggressively search out new ones abroad.”
“Where possible and cost-effective, we should be buying from our neighbours and selling to our neighbours, and increasing those ties that lessen our dependence on factors that are too often outside of our control,” Neumann added.
“We must invest in our future by investing in our transportation infrastructure. Our road, rail, air, telecommunications, and shipping links to our markets are our lifeline.”
Neumann also stressed the importance of building relationships with other communities that have similar interests so they can work together to solve their common problems.
First Nations also play an important role in economic success and should not be forgotten, he noted.
“As long as we view native concerns in terms of a problem to be solved instead of an asset to our region, we will continue to fail in addressing not only their concerns, but we will never realize our regional economic potential as well,” Neumann said.
“We will never get anywhere fighting our battles alone. We simply lack the political and economic clout to be heard at that national level.”
While social programs are important, and part of what defines Canada, the best way to ensure prosperity for everyone is to create a strong economy, Neumann argued.
“As Conservatives, we believe that the greatest social program ever conceived is a well-paying job,” he remarked. “We believe that the role of government is to create an environment where employment can flourish because from a job, so many other things become possible.”
Neumann encouraged party members to get active in the upcoming campaign and spread the Conservative message.
“I will work hard for you until the votes are counted, and I will work even harder for you after that,” he pledged.
“Electing Liberals is no longer acceptable,” he added. “We will win the confidence of the people in the next election, both nationally and here in this region, and we will have a voice inside the Conservative government.
“Help me to be that voice.”
Some local party members also spoke in support of Neumann, including Brian Williams, one of the vice-presidents of the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Conservative Electoral District Association.
“He’s very organized, hard-working, efficient,” Williams said. “I think he’ll be an excellent candidate. I think he’d be an excellent MP.”
Following his acceptance speech, Neumann sat down with the Times to discuss the timing of the next election and expressed confidence in his chances of winning.
“We have the numbers,” he said.
“I’m the only new face on the ballot. I’m hoping that will generate some sort of curiosity,” he added. “I really believe it’s going to be a tight three-way race.
“We need to work extra hard this time.”
Neumann said many of the Conservative voters live in the rural areas of the riding while the Liberal and NDP voters tend to be centered in the urban areas, where it is more convenient to vote.
“We can win if we can get our voter turnout. We need the rural areas to come out and vote,” he stressed.
“I really think we’ve got a message we can take out there, that we can sell.”
While Thunder Bay tends to be a Liberal stronghold, the recent eviction of Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Joe Comuzzi from the Liberal caucus for supporting last month’s Conservative budget may make some voters think again, Neumann remarked.
“This was the guy that was synonymous with Liberal in Thunder Bay,” he said. “It’s enough to shake the tree a little bit.”
As for the timing of the next federal election, Neumann said it would be possible to see one this spring, though he hoped the government would stand until next year.
“Minority governments don’t have a terribly long shelf life in Canada,” he said.
“We’ve fought a lot of elections in the last three years,” he added. “From a riding standpoint, it would be nice if we could hold off for a while longer.”
This would allow time for all the parties to get organized and do some fundraising.
Neumann said if the government was to fall, it likely would be in the next few weeks. The Clean Air Act or several justice bills, for instance, could result in a non-confidence vote against the Conservatives.
“If we can get agreement on these, I think we can run straight into next spring,” he said.
“I know the Prime Minister is willing to compromise with the other parties,” he added, though noting the party would not compromise on its “core values.”
“When we run out of things in common, it’s going to be increasingly difficult to compromise,” he conceded.
Neumann is a 41-year-old chartered insurance professional originally from Portage La Prairie, Man.
He served 12 years in the Canadian Armed Forces (Navy) from 1984-96, including a posting on the HMCS Athabaskan during the Gulf War of 1990-91.
Neumann also has been president of the Conservative electoral district association in the Thunder Bay area for eight of the last 10 years. He stepped down from the president’s chair in order to run as a candidate.
Jason Hughes, vice-chair of the nomination committee, noted the committee approached eight other individuals to determine their interest in seeking the nomination, but all declined.
About 20 people attended the nomination meeting at the Emo Legion on Friday night. A second one was held Saturday in Thunder Bay.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
