FORT FRANCES—After a weekend of nomination meetings to choose the NDP candidate for the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding in the next federal election, it was two-time nominee John Rafferty who came out on top.
Rafferty, who lives in Fort Frances, was challenged this time around by former Thunder Bay councillor Betty Kennedy.
The nominees had a chance to speak to party members at meetings in Fort Frances and Atikokan on Saturday, and then in Thunder Bay on Sunday.
At the meeting here, held Saturday morning at La Place Rendez-Vous, Rafferty encouraged those on hand to “take a leap of faith that together we will win the next election.”
He said he values equality, justice, and protecting health care and the environment. And he stressed he wants to make sure no one gets left behind.
For her part, Kennedy, who served seven-consecutive terms on Thunder Bay council from 1982-2003, indicated that while “many citizens are paralyzed by fear and the unknown,” that perhaps it is time for a change.
“Today the future must be our concern,” she stressed. “Northwestern Ontario is changing and we need to find new and innovative ways to embrace the change.”
Similar speeches by the nominees, just five minutes in length, were presented at the Atikokan and Thunder Bay meetings, as well.
The keynote speaker at all three meetings—veteran NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis, who has represented Winnipeg North since 1997—presented positive and encouraging message about the party.
“We need to elect the next member of Parliament who will finally speak up . . . and grow our voice in Ottawa,” she argued. “More and more people are falling between the cracks.
“We have to be make sure all voices are represented,” she stressed.
The ballots, which were cast at each meeting, were not counted until after the final one in Thunder Bay.
There, Rafferty learned he had won. Although the number of votes for each nominee is not recorded, he estimated about 300 ballots were cast in total.
“We worked hard for this nomination,” he noted Monday. “And it’s nice to see all the hard work come to fruition.”
But he added what was even nicer to see was that Kennedy, along with her team and several who had voted for her, offered their support to Rafferty following his victory.
“I think the focus now has to be on working for John Rafferty and the NDP to win this riding in the next federal election,” Kennedy told the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal.
“That solidarity was very nice to see,” Rafferty remarked.
He believes people voted for him because they’ve seen the work he has done.
“They have also seen that we’ve continued to be on the rise,” he added. “We’ve continued to go forward. We’ve got momentum. And people recognize that.”
As the NDP’s candidate for the next federal election here, Rafferty indicated his first priorities now are to fight for getting people back to work and to make the forest industry strong.
He said he believes three initiatives can be taken to help the industry in Northwestern Ontario. They include mimicking Manitoba’s hydro rates, fluctuating stumpage fees, and a tax credit system.
“The Liberals are saying that forestry is a sunset industry, but it’s not a sunset industry,” he stressed.
Along with the support Rafferty received this weekend, he said he also was pleased to see the party raised more than $6,000 in pledges before the candidate was even announced.
“That’s remarkable and it shows there’s a real interest in the next election,” he enthused. “And I’m certainly ready to go.”
The riding is held by Liberal Ken Boshcoff, with the Conservatives having already chosen Richard Neumann as their candidate.
Rafferty first ran federally in 2000, and came within 630 votes of defeating Boshcoff in 2006.
He also was a close second to Liberal Bill Mauro in last fall’s provincial election in Thunder Bay-Atikokan, where a recount was needed to determine the victor.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
