“… Issues of affordability…”
New Democratic Party candidate Sara McCleary officially launched her federal election bid on Tuesday with the opening of her campaign office on 24 Queen St. E. in the Sault’s downtown.
The young married mother, who holds down three part-time jobs to help support her family, told a packed gathering that “issues of affordability” are a common concern of the many local residents who she has spoken to since being acclaimed as the NDP candidate ahead of the looming federal election.
“Residents are telling me that it is really hard to pay their rent and get their groceries … so, something like introducing universal pharma care is really important,” McCleary noted.
“People are paying way too much for prescriptions … we want to make it so they can get their prescriptions with their health card instead of having to pay with their credit card,” she continued.
McCleary added clearly and firmly that she wants “to be the voice of the working class people of Sault Ste. Marie and represent them in Ottawa.”
Meanwhile, among those in attendance at Tuesday’s opening of McCleary’s campaign office were long-serving NDP political stalwarts Tony Martin and Bud Wildman.
The now 71-year old Martin was the NDP member for the Sault in the Ontario legislature and held a seat from 1990 until 2003. He then went the federal route and was elected as the Sault’s member of parliament, retaining a seat in the House of Commons from 2004 until 2011, capping an immense 20-year career as an NDP representative.
As for the venerable Wildman, the now 73-year old served the erstwhile riding of Algoma as the NDP member of provincial parliament from 1975 until 1999 before retiring from politics.
Back to McCleary, she will try to gain NDP representation for the Sault in the House of Commons when the 43rd Canadian general election is held on October 21.
She will be up against four other local candidates.
McCleary, Geordon (Geo) Mclean of the Green Party, Conservative Party candidate Sonny Spina and Amy Zuccato of the People’s Party of Canada will all try to unseat current Sault member of parliament Terry Sheehan of the governing Liberal Party.
