Peggy Revell
Deputy Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff flew into Fort Frances early this morning as part of a “whistle stop” tour of the area.
“You know Ken from around here, but you may not know him in Ottawa,” Ignatieff remarked about Liberal MP Ken Boshcoff, who’s seeking re-election Oct. 14 here in Thunder Bay-Rainy River.
In Ottawa, no one works harder on forestry, rural issues, and other issues that are important to Northwestern Ontario than Boshcoff, Ignatieff said.
Boshcoff is an MP who “will fight for you and stand for you, and hit the Liberal caucus over the head day after day after day [on these issues],” he stressed.
“I know that when we started four-and-a-half years ago, people had these fears that they wouldn’t see their MP because he was from Thunder Bay,” remarked Boshcoff. “But for all of you, as a team, I call home anywhere between the Manitoba border and Lake Superior, so just so you know, this is home for me now and I’m really glad to be here.”
Being an available and approachable MP is something Boshcoff said has come across during the campaign, with people greeting him with a “Hi, Ken” when he’s knocking on doors.
Boshcoff said he’s been trying to “cover every possible branch of the communities here,” adding the response has been extremely friendly and positive.
“He serves the community, he works for the community, he bends my ear about his concerns here,” Ignatieff told local Liberal supporters who were gathered at the airport this morning for his brief visit. “And we’ve gotta get him back in Parliament. We’ve just gotta get him back to Ottawa.
“Ken’s your guy and you know it, and you’ve got to go out to your neighbours and your friends and say that and get that out there,” he added.
Ignatieff then hopped back on the Bearskin plane to fly on to his next “whistle stop.”
