After three nomination meetings held across the riding last week, John Rafferty was elected to represent the New Democratic Party in the new Thunder Bay-Rainy River in the next federal election.
The announcement was made after the third and final meeting in Thunder Bay last Thursday. The riding association had held meetings in Fort Frances last Tuesday and in Atikokan on Wednesday.
Rafferty, a small business owner and former radio host in Thunder Bay, defeated former Fort Frances councillor Larry Richardson.
Richardson served eight years on town council here in the 1960s and once ran unsuccessfully for a seat at Queen’s Park.
The riding association did not release any details of the vote, including Rafferty’s margin of victory or the number of ballots cast.
“The NDP is the party of tolerance and compassion,” Rafferty said. “More than ever, we need these values, not only in the north, but across Canada.
“These values just haven’t been a part of the Liberals’ way of governing,” he charged.
At last Tuesday night’s meeting here, Rafferty had stressed the importance of families in his approach to politics.
“Is this action, or is this decision, good for families? If the answer is no, then it’s not good for the people of Thunder Bay-Rainy River, and it’s not good for the people of Canada,” he said.
“Politics is about people.”
Rafferty also said the concerns of the people of Rainy River District would not be forgotten in the new riding.
Rafferty had carried the NDP banner in the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding in the 2000 federal election, where he came in third with 19.5 percent of the vote.
He then ran in Thunder Bay-Atikokan in the provincial election last fall, where he lost to Liberal Bill Mauro after garnering 21.6 percent of the popular vote.
Rafferty will face Liberal candidate Ken Boshcoff, Conservative David Leskowski, and Green Party candidate Russ Aegard in the next federal election.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
