BY BILL BRADLEY
Both Sudbury and Nickel Belt ridings could change hands on Oct. 14.
Two polls, Ekos and Nanos, featured on the Hill and Knowlton election predictor website, predict a Liberal Party collapse across Canada, including Northern Ontario.
Both polls indicate many Liberals swept out of BC, Northern Ontario, Quebec and much of the Maritimes. A Conservative majority is predicted.
Both NDP candidates Claude Gravelle (Nickel Belt) and Glenn Thibeault (Sudbury) say the writing is on the wall for the Liberals.
Gravelle said his prospects are much better this time because Ray Bonin, former incumbent MP has retired. That is leaving the riding “in play.” Gravelle trailed Bonin by only 2,000 votes in the last two federal elections.
Gravelle said at-the-door the issues are the same: high gas prices, terrible roads and concerns about waiting times for health care.
“Our leader Jack Layton will provide real gas price relief for consumers, while Conservatives break promises and protect big oil companies,” he said.
Gravelle campaigned recently in Sturgeon Falls, east of the city.
“A lot of people have bought houses there (in Sturgeon Falls) in order to commute into all the jobs now in Sudbury. But they are really affected by high gas prices,” said Gravelle.
“Big oil shouldn’t have a free licence to gouge consumers. Jack Layton will start with a price monitoring agency, with regulations based on consultations with the provinces and stakeholders,” said Gravelle’s release.
Thibeault said high gas prices are a common complaint he has heard at the door.
“Most people do not like Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion. They also do not like carbon taxes.” Though Thibeault announced his candidacy at the drop of the election writ, he said his campaign is making up for lost time.
“My team and I knock on 200 doors a night. Everywhere we are getting strong support in the riding.”
NDP strategist Robin Nieto said his national party has thrown a lot of money into Sudbury riding, as well as Nickel Belt. “We intend on winning Nickel Belt. We came close the last two federal elections with Claude Gravelle. We are out to win the Sudbury riding too. Both campaigns operate as a team,” said Nieto.
Liberals are having a hard sell with the carbon tax program, he added.
“Not only are northerners complaining about high gas prices, but winter is coming. That means the 20 per cent increase in natural gas prices announced in July will hit them in their home heating bills. The Liberals and their carbon tax is turning off voters and they are coming to us,” said Nieto.
Gravelle served as a town councillor for Rayside-Balfour from 1997 to 2000 and worked at Inco as a machinist from 1968 to 2003. He has served his community as director of the Community Health Care Centre, was past director of Rayside-Balfour Minor Hockey and chaired the Citizens’ Police Advisory Committee.
Thibeault is executive director of the United Way. For more information, contact Claude Gravelle at 897-3769 or email claudegravelle@ndp.ca. Glenn Thibeault’s office is at 768 Barrydowne Rd. (at Gemmel Street), visit www.glennthibeault.ca or phone 669-1110.
Some NDP proposals
- invest the equivalent of one per cent of the GST (one of the five) to increase funding of the important priorities of communities
- stop gas price gouging by creating an Ombudsman who would investigate and prosecute oil company collusion
- listen to northern mayors and establish an infrastructure renewal program for northern cities, reverse federal downloading for health and social service costs, and spend more money on northern roads
- train 28,000 nurses, doctors and other health professionals to cut wait times across Canada because close to 90 per cent of northern Ontario doctors are not accepting new patients
- expand the use of nurse practitioners and multi-disciplinary clinics to bring primary and timely health care to more communities
- cut the cost of prescription drugs for families
