Journal Staff
The field is nearly set in Sarnia-Lambton for this year’s federal election on Oct. 21.
Four parties have registered candidates and a fifth is waiting to be confirmed. They are:
MARILYN GLADU (Conservative - Incumbent)
A former engineer at WorleyParsons, incumbent Marilyn Gladu was the first female engineer elected to the House when she won the riding in 2015. She made a name for herself in Ottawa quickly, was named most collegial parliamentarian by MacLean’s magazine in 2017, and became health critic in the party’s shadow cabinet, responsible for holding the Trudeau government to account on health issues. Gladu’s bill on palliative care was one of only 278 private members bills in parliamentary history to pass with unanimous support. She based much of the bill on palliate services established in Sarnia-Lambton.
CARMEN LEMIUEX (Liberal)
Carmen Lemieux was a senior communications specialist with Dow Chemical before transitioning to education in 1992. Fluent in French, she taught French immersion in several Lambton County schools before becoming vice principal of Queen Elizabeth II in early 2000. She became principal of Errol Road School and Hanna Memorial, and was the first principal of Lambton-Kent’s only single-track F-I school. Lemieux retired in 2017, lives in Sarnia, and volunteers at Bluewater Health and London Road School’s breakfast program. Married with twins, Lemieux says she is passionate about working with and supporting seniors and families.
PETER SMITH (Green Party)
A retired energy industry consultant, Peter Smith has a degree in nuclear engineering and worked 17 years at Polysar and another 10 years at TranAlta. The married father of two and grandfather of three served on the board of St. Clair Child and Youth. He’s active with Amnesty International, works with Adopt a Scientist, and handles media relations for the annual Lambton County Science Fair. Smith says he supports evidence-based decision making to solve problems, and has written and spoken extensively on the need for urgent action to curb greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining the economy. Smith represented the federal Green Party in the 2015 federal election.
BRIAN EVERAERT (People’s Party)
Brian Everaert is a union ironworker with 25 years experience who has deep family ties in Lambton County. He lives near Wilkesport with his partner Shannon, and has two grown children. He is an advocate of free speech and likes the People’s Party platform, which including free votes, a desire to lower taxes to help Canadian families, and welcoming input from “everyday people.” Everaert represented the Trillium Party in the 2018 Ontario election in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, and ran for mayor of St. Clair Township in last year’s municipal election, finishing third to winner Steve Arnold.
New Democratic Party
The NDP riding association has recruited local activist and minister Adam Kilner to run in October, but at press time had not yet confirmed his candidacy.