Wednesday October 16, 2019 ~ ESQUIMALT-SAANICH-SOOKE
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
This being the fifth-last day of the 43rd federal election campaign, Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke incumbent NDP candidate Randall Garrison was out doing his last All Candidates Debate in Colwood this morning.
And his team was out and about still door knocking and distributing signs. That will continue right up to election day on Monday October 21. There was a large ‘Burma Shave’ (waving of signs at the roadside) this afternoon by the Garrison campaign team in Esquimalt, held during the commuter rush hour for best visibility.
During the all candidates debate — which was held Wednesday morning for an audience of high school students at Brookes Westshore in Colwood, as well as members of the local riding — Garrison defended his accomplishments of the past eight years in the House of Commons as MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.
He says he has been a life-long environmentalist, even being opposed to the Kinder Morgan (now Trans Mountain) Pipeline when he served long ago as a city councillor with the Township of Esquimalt. “It’s time for rapid action on climate change,” said Garrison the crowd about about 250 people in the school cafeteria area.
Garrison said he’d been recruited into national politics by the late Jack Layton who was NDP Leader in 2011 for that year’s campaign. This will be Garrison’s third term as the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke member of parliament if he is re-elected on October 21.
He says his aim for the next four years would be to “make Canada more equal so more people can participate”. He would like to see that people “not just make ends meet” and that “seniors can have a dignified retirement”.
Many years ago he was the co-founder of a local immigration and refugee center. He is a broad defender of human rights, he said in the debate today.
========= NOTES:
- The federal general election voting day is Monday October 21. Polling stations will be open from 7 am to 7 pm. Check your Voter Identification Card for your voting location, or check for that information at www.Elections.ca
- The Randall Garrison campaign office is at 829C Admirals Road (a 15-minute drive from Colwood in non-rush-hour). Open daily through October 21.
- Opening of the Randall Garrison (incumbent, NDP) campaign office on September 15 (article, September 15, 2019).