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Provincial NDP Leader makes stop in downtown Sarnia

Marit Stiles held an intimate conversation with a handful of local residents in downtown Sarnia last week.
marit-and-cat
Ontario NDP Leader, Marit Stiles, with Cat Cabajar, owner of The Painted Cat Studio in downtown Sarnia

Marit Stiles, leader of the provincial New Democratic Party, the official opposition, made a stop in Sarnia on her leader’s tour ahead of an anticipated provincial election. 

In a small gathering at The Painted Cat Studio on Christina St., on January 14, Stiles held an intimate conversation with local families. The purpose of the event was to listen and get a feel for the issues and concerns that are on the minds of Sarnia residents, especially young families.

For those in attendance, cost of living, the housing crisis, access to healthcare, childcare, and other social services were top of mind. As well, many were concerned about the number of unhoused people in our communities and issues such as crime, mental health, and addiction.

Kim Macintosh, lifelong Sarnia resident and mother of two, said she is “concerned about having a young family and seeing some of the drug use happening around our area. And then I’m also concerned about child care…the waitlist is beyond insane.”

“It’s a time of enormous insecurity,” Stiles said. “I see it hitting people at all points in life.” 

Lo-Anne Chan, the federal NDP candidate for Sarnia-Lambton, attended the gathering. “We're trying to prioritize families and make sure that families are heard, especially at the government level,” she said.

Stiles wants to address what she calls the “precarity of life” by improving the social safety net. “It’s supposed to catch you, but nobody’s getting caught right now.”

“Other than really rich people, life today is harder than it was seven years ago for almost everyone,” she said. “We're the first generation where our children are not being forecast to do as well as we did. And that is devastating.”

Stiles also acknowledges that there is a lot of anger about the state of the world, politics, and the economy, and that for the NDP, “channelling that anger is a really important piece.”

Despite that anger, voter apathy remains a problem. “The last provincial election was the record for low voter turnout,” she said. “This is why Doug Ford gets elected. Apathy is hard to break, but one thing you can do is make sure that the people that do want the change are actually voting."

Stiles is touring the province to increase the visibility of the NDP and introduce herself to an electorate that may not know much about her.

“I'm a pretty new leader,” Stiles said, “so people are just getting to know me.” 

She said that this is part of Doug Ford's strategy in potentially calling an early election.  “The reason he's going right now is because he knows that he has a much bigger profile than me or the liberal leader, or even the Green leader.”

Stiles highlighted her connections to Sarnia, having worked for NDP MPP Bob Huget in the 90s. “I spent a lot of time here for about three years. I was in and out of here every week and I got to know the community really well back then.

“It has really changed here and then there's a lot that hasn't. Looking back to the mid 90s when I started out visiting here, people were really struggling back then. That was a difficult time. And, I think, today we're seeing a lot of similar things.”

Kim Mcintosh came to the gathering without prior particular political allegiances. “I’m not a political person,” she told us, “I just wanted my issues in the city to be heard.”

When asked if he felt heard by the NDP leader, she said “Yes I did. A little.”

Cat Cabajar, owner of The Painted Cat where the event was held, said she was honoured to host the provincial NDP leader at her business. Having worked on NDP election campaigns in the past, she said “It felt really inspiring. I feel more motivated to contribute and help out during this campaign. It is a really important election.”

Stiles acknowledged that, strategically, Sarnia-Lambton is a strong conservative riding, even though the NDP has consistently come in second over the past decade. However, she wants to look beyond just the next election and hopes to build a movement here. 

When asked about the possibility of the riding flipping to the NDP in the next election she noted how incumbent governments everywhere are being voted out. “Never say never,” she said

A candidate for Sarnia-Lambton’s provincial NDP has yet to be announced. 


 


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