Liberals open Brockville office with swipe at Barrett
Liberal candidate Roberta Abbott officially opened her campaign office in Brockville on Friday in a low-key ceremony with a handful of supporters.
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In an address to the gathering, which organizers said was kept small because of COVID-19 protocols, Abbott spoke of her frustration and sadness at the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and its speed at overthrowing the government there.
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Abbott, who was deployed to Afghanistan during her time as an intelligence analyst for the Department of Defence, praised the federal government for its speed in sending two C-17s to Kabul to help in the evacuation efforts.
Abbott said she has been buoyed by the words of Sean Wilson, brother of Trooper Mark Wilson who was one of the 158 Canadians who were killed in Afghanistan, that their sacrifices were not in vain.
Abbott agrees: “In the 20 years that we were there, we created the conditions of relative stability that provided for a whole generation of Afghans the possibility for girls to go to school, for women to go to work, for economic development, for democratic development.”
She said the people who were babies and children at the start of the Canadian mission are now the young adults who are pushing back against the Taliban.
Abbott used the Afghan situation as a metaphor for why she is running for the Liberals, which she called the party of “hope and opportunity.”
The Liberals create the conditions that allow people to attain their goals, said Abbott, pointing to the government’s efforts to support people during the pandemic.
The candidate also cited the Liberal government’s National Childcare Program, its fight against climate change and its National Housing Program.
Michelle Taylor runs for NDP
Michelle Taylor, the NDP’s candidate in the last three federal and provincial elections, will again carry the party’s colours in the Sept. 20 federal election.
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Taylor, a third-year student of law at Carleton University and Athens-area mother of four who has been homeschooling her children during COVID, entered the election 10 days after it was called with a blistering social media post condemning the actions of her Liberal and Conservative opponents.
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She said she was frustrated that the Liberals called the election at this time, instead of dealing with the new wave of the pandemic and passing legislation to help those left behind.
“They have dragged their feet on any significant progressive change despite the glaring compelling evidence of necessity provided by the pandemic,” Taylor said in her announcement. “Pharmacare? No. Comprehensive health care? No. Basic income? No. Funding these investments by closing tax loopholes for wealthy elites? No. Instead, Canadians received a poorly-crafted and temporary patchwork of ‘income boosts’, with no hint of permanent investment in either the health or income sectors.”
Taylor shared some of her criticism for the Conservatives and their candidate, incumbent Michael Barrett.
She said the Conservatives have proven they are not capable of “progressive representation or policy.”
Barrett is selective of the constituents that he chooses to represent, she said.
“His regressive stance on critical human rights issues, particularly those affecting women and the LGBTQ2S+ community, has left many embarrassed and enraged at his votes in the House on our behalf,” Taylor said. “I share all of those concerns and I agree that we deserve far better.”
VIDEO: Drum circle visits Gananoque
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Yessica Rivera Belsham led the Ollin Drum Circle in an hour-long free performance at Joel Stone Park on Saturday afternoon, part of the 1000 Islands Waterfront Festival.
The group, formerly known as Kingston Drum Circle, welcomed people of all backgrounds to join them in the Indigenous drumming, with healing and love of Mother Earth among the themes. A handful of people took up the offer.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser. VIDEO: Drum circle visits Gananoque Back to video
Rivera Belsham was also in the area at the beginning of the summer, at an event in Athens marking National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.