Letter: No such thing as a perfect government

I’ve been campaigning for the Ontario Liberal nomination in Sudbury for almost four months and one question I get from time to time is “Why are you running for the Liberals given some of the negative stories we’ve read regarding things like the gas plants cancellation and Ornge?”

I think it’s a fair question and one I want to take a moment to address head-on as I believe it is an issue of integrity, loyalty and being true to one’s self.

First and foremost, I tell people that I won’t defend those mistakes that have been made in the past. I was not a part of those decisions. Until a few months ago, I was a small businessman and community advocate in my hometown of Sudbury.

In fact, Premier Wynne herself does not defend those actions made by the previous administration. I believe this is why we saw leadership change at Queen’s Park. It was time for renewal.

But show me a perfect government anywhere. Show me an administration that hasn’t made mistakes. Rae made mistakes. Harris made mistakes. Governing is not a science – there is no such thing as perfect government.

As Winston Churchill said, “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” At the end of the day, when you run for politics, you have to do soul-searching to decipher where you stand and what jersey you will wear come game-time. You need to be true to yourself.

To that end, I am running for the Liberals because I believe in liberal values. What I mean by that is I believe in a balance between fiscal and social responsibility.

I get this from my upbringing in a family of small business owners in Sudbury — with both Francophone and Italian sensibilities. Our businesses have raised our families and the families of our employees.

On the social side, being heavily dependent on the health care system and a number of local agencies since my accident twenty years ago has formed my opinions. I can’t count the number of agencies and wonderful people who have been there for me to help me succeed.

So, while I understand the importance of business growth – I also know a community is also defined by the support systems it has in place. Our arts and culture, our youth and our education system define us as well. It is this balance that attracted me to the Liberal Party.

When I was considering a political move last year, some people suggested I consider the NDP who didn’t have a candidate at the time. However, I knew I simply couldn’t abandon my loyalty to the liberal values that are the foundation of how I was raised and what I believe in — just because of some challenges. In fact, when I see those challenges the party has experienced, it tells me it’s time for renewal. It is time for me to step up and get involved.

As Northerners, in our families, and in our community – we don’t abandon our beliefs for convenience or opportunism. We are loyal and we fight for what we believe in. And, I believe Sudbury is a better place today than it was ten years ago – and I want to keep that going for all of us.

I’m not afraid of challenges and I’m not afraid of fighting — I’ve been doing it most of my life. It’s these values and traits that I plan on bringing to being Sudbury’s representative at Queen’s Park.

Andrew Olivier
Sudbury provincial Liberal nomination candidate