Sunday August 15, 2021 | DUNCAN, BC [Typo correction at 11 pm August 16]
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
Seeking re-election for a third term as the Member of Parliament for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, Alistair MacGregor launched his campaign.
The 44th federal general election was called this morning by Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau, after securing dissolution of the 43rd parliament in a 10 am (Eastern) meeting with Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall.
The campaign is 36 days long. There will be a televised English-language debate on September 9. General voting day is set for Monday September 20.
MacGregor says the past 18 months have been challenging. In his riding that spans the urban Langford, rural and coastal Cowichan-Duncan areas, and parts of Juan de Fuca from Jordan River up to Port Renfrew, he hears from people who are worried about jobs, the health of loved ones, and the public services that people rely on.
MacGregor has maintained two constituency offices due to the vast geographic territory of the electoral area — one in Duncan and the other in Langford.
Lining up with ‘Ready for Better’:
A few days ago, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh released the NDP’s Ready for Better platform. MacGregor says the vision statement shows what a New Democrat government knows is possible and is willing to deliver.
“From Chemainus, to Port Renfrew, to Langford – back up the Malahat – and everywhere in between, I’m proud to have been the Member of Parliament for this region these past six years,” says MacGregor.
“Whether it’s protecting our coast against anchorages and tackling climate change, fighting for Indigenous rights, making better agricultural policy, combating the opioid epidemic, or ensuring a recovery from the global pandemic that sees our communities and small businesses bounce back and prosper, I’ve worked hard to make sure your voices are well represented in Ottawa,” he wrote in a release today.
With a critical view to the performance of the Liberal-led government over the past six years, MacGregor says the pandemic has only made it harder for people to ‘keep up’, as wages stay somewhat the same and good jobs with benefits become harder to find.
Out-of-pocket healthcare costs are rising, and the Liberals joined with Conservatives to vote against NDP initiatives to set up national pharmacare and dental care systems, MacGregor points out.
The evidence of rapid and dangerous climate change is here, and MacGregor feels that Canada should do better at meeting climate change targets. “With the climate crisis reaching irreversible stages and threatening everything we hold dear, going back to the way things were simply isn’t good enough,” he says.
Over the past six years, says the Liberal government had opportunities to take concrete action against stagnating wages, sky-rocketing housing costs, unaffordable childcare, stifling student debt, and ballooning prescription drug prices.
If we want different results, we need to stop making the same failed choices. We need the courage to act together, and that is exactly what NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and I are offering to Canadians.
Food-growing sector:
As the Vancouver Island candidate who has served as Agriculture Critic, MacGregor hopes to resurrect his Bill C290 on Soil Health, to support improvements in food security and sustainability of the agricultural production sector.
Out to people’s doorsteps:
MacGregor and his team are rolling up their sleeves. As the incumbent, he pledges to work hard over the next five weeks to again earn the trust of voters to represent Cowichan-Malahat-Langford in Parliament. He and his team are planning to visit voters at their doorsteps to discuss important issues. They will follow all COVID public health protocols.
===== RELATED:
Canada’s election is on for September 20 (August 15, 2021)
Campaign launch by Trudeau, O’Toole & Singh (August 15, 2021)
NDP releases vision document as election call looms (August 12, 2021)
